Playing with Fire
by snakebite4
Summary: Vanessa Gilbert had always has fire in her soul, a Petrova fire to be exact. When she died, it didn't mean her life was over. It was just starting. She reminded Elijah of his old lover and caught the attention of the most dangerous and unpredictable Original, Kol. ElijahxOC and KolxOC
1. Pilot

**AN:** **This is supposed to be ElijahxOC as I am no fan to triangle love, but when they killed Kol I decided I should write something that has him. I mourned for the handsome Original for days. I knew he would die but his death was too cruel for me to watch. Until we get to Kol, enjoy ElijahxOC. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Vanessa and Cassandra/Cassidy**

Chapter 1: Pilot

* * *

**May 23, 2009**

"There's my sister!" I chirped as Elena walked into the kitchen. She too, was wearing the cheerleading outfits but her hair was tied up. As everyone in Mystic Falls had known, we were fraternal twins. The only thing that really made me doubt our blood relation was our appearance. While Elena did look like Mom, I looked nothing like her or Dad.

Elena and I were always mistaken as strangers at first, one will hardly believe that we were twins. Her olive tone skin contradicted my ivory skin. She had brown eyes and I had blue eyes. She had straight brown hair while I wore my golden hair in curls. At least, our facial structures were the same, I had said. Our doe like eyes, button nose, and pouty lips. No matter what our appearances were, we were twins. I could feel her and she could feel me. We were inseparable forever and only death could separate us.

"Nessie," Elena said, grinning at the nickname she knew I hated more than anything. I slapped her arm playfully and she laughed.

"Tie your hair please, I don't want any hair in the food," Jenna said and I stuck my tongue at her as her back faced me. I pulled my golden locks into a high ponytail and looked at Elena.

"Where's my baby brother?" I asked and thanked Jenna who handed me a mug of hot chocolate.

"He locked himself in the bathroom again. Does he think we don't know what he's doing in there?" Elena asked and Jenna and I chuckled.

"He's fourteen. They don't think," Jenna told to which I nodded.

"At least he's growing up," I added with a smirk and Elena made a disgusted face. She grabbed the coffee pot but Jenna was quick to take it back.

"Hey, you'll get me in trouble," she told and I smirked.

"That's the point-ah!" I pouted as I rubbed the spot that Jenna had smacked me.

"Good morning," Mom said, a big smile playing at her lips. My own lips curved into a smile instantly, and I placed the mug down.

"Morning, Mom," Elena said, kissing her cheek.

"Morning," I said and held out my cheek so she would kiss it.

"Morning, sweetheart," Mom said and I smiled as I kissed her cheek.

It was a perfect day with a perfect family. I'd never guess that it was the last day of our happiness.

* * *

"But it was your fault, 'Lena. You string him all along the way," I said when she told me about Matt. "If you're no longer interested just tell him," I said, finding it absurd that she didn't like Matt but dearest sister can't bear to speak the truth.

"I didn't mean to," Elena said with a sigh. She did seem regret about it, but she didn't want to do anything about it. She would just whine and hoped others would do it for her. This was where our personalities differed greatly from each other.

"But you still did," I countered smartly. "And here we are, going back to the 'family night'," I quoted the words, glaring playfully at Elena.

"You're always blaming me," Elena said with a pout and I shrugged.

"Couldn't help it," I said and opened the door, entering the backseat. "Who were you talking to just now?" I asked as I remembered the raven haired man talking to Elena.

"What man?" she asked, confused and I rolled my eyes.

"Guess you don't want him to be mine then," I teased and she still looked confused. Since when did Elena become a good actress? I wondered as I looked out of the window.

"Come on, girls. Stop fighting," Dad interjected.

"We were not fighting!" Elena and I chorused, and looked at each other before going into a laughing fit. It was always funny whenever we did that, it was something special, something that showed that we were connected.

* * *

"Vanessa! Nessa!" Elena shook my body as I gasped. We were sinking. No, no, no! I had blackened out due to the shock. Everything was so sudden…

"We're gonna be okay, I promise," Dad told us but I didn't believe him. We were not going to be fine. He tried to break the window but to no avail.

"Dad," Elena called and he turned around, shaking his head. There was no way out and it had come to an end. My life would be over in just a matter of time. There was still so much for me to do…so much for me to learn. And everything would end very soon. Elena took a hold of my hand and I looked at her, my other half. I tightened my grip on her hand and we waited for our life to be taken.

There was suddenly hope. A man was swimming toward us, and he knocked on the window. I saw Dad pointed to the back, asking the man to save his daughters first. He was sacrificing himself. My heart dropped at that thought, if I survive this how will I ever live with the guilt? The man complied and opened the door with ease, staring at Elena in shock. He then pulled her toward him and grabbed my arm as he noticed how Elena's grip on me didn't loosen. As he swam to the surface, I could see that his strength was wavering.

Knowing it was very selfish of me to choose death instead, I shrugged my arm off him and gave him a nod. He watched me grimly and nodded back, and swam to the surface without me. My lungs were burning, and I opened my mouth, the water entering my mouth and my lungs, my body became heavier and I felt weak. I was sinking, to the bottom of the lake and it was almost comforting when I had stopped struggling. I had tried to swim to the surface but I had no energy left.

The death was inviting but before I could embrace him, a hand grabbed my upper arm, and pulled me to the surface with ease. I felt something was forced into my mouth and I gulped it down, needing the air to breathe. It was a woman, her dark and curly brown hair was the last thing I saw before I closed my eyes. I wondered if she was an angel who had saved me or an angel who was welcoming me to death.

Indeed, I was right. She was both.

* * *

Katherine effortlessly carried the girl to the house that she was staying in Mystic Falls. The Salvatores were back, and she couldn't let one of them see her. At least, not yet. It was a huge risk when she dove into the water. She was merely following Stefan when she saw Vanessa. She looked just like her twin sister, Cassandra Petrova. Katherine would have been deceived that the girl that was lying before her was Cassandra. Nevertheless, the girl's beating, human heart made it clear that she was neither Cassandra Petrova nor Cassidy Pierce, but the doppelganger. That means, her own doppelganger was in Mystic Falls.

"If words reach Klaus, he would come here instantly. It's not safe for me to be here, but Stefan…" she muttered to herself, and sighed. She was more than tired. She had run for five centuries now. She had to leave Mystic Falls, and that meant, she had to leave Stefan as well. Katherine turned to the girl and felt her heart clenched. Cassandra was caught and murdered by Klaus, and Katherine was saved as everyone thought she died in the church. Katherine knew it was selfish of her, she knew it wasn't the right thing to do. But Katherine was always a selfish one, and this blonde doppelganger, can be the key to save her life.

So Katherine carefully walked towards the girl and cupped her face. She looked exactly like Cassandra. Katherine missed her sister so much, more than her fear for Klaus. And she was given a chance to have it back. With a determined face, she snapped the girl's neck without a slight effort. The girl's beating human heart was no longer there.

Vanessa Gilbert was dead.

* * *

I gasped for air when I woke up, feeling alive. Last I checked, I was dying. Then I saw Elena standing in front of me.

"Elena?" I asked and she looked up. "Am I dead?" I asked and she smirked. Wait, that was weird.

"Nope, you are not," she said and handed me a cup of hot chocolate. I looked at her warily.

"You're not Elena," I stated with confusion yet firmly. The girl's lips formed another smirk and she offered the drink again. I took the mug carefully, and examined the drink.

"I didn't put anything weird in it. I was the one who saved you," She told and I relaxed a little. I took a sip, and sighed as the warmth spread inside my body. I took another sip, before meeting the girl's familiar brown eyes.

"Who are you?" I asked. It was weird, the last thing I remembered was being pulled out of the water. Now that I had woken up, someone that looked exactly like Elena was in front of me, and claimed to be my saviour.

"I'm Katherine Pierce, your sister's doppelganger," she said bluntly, and I choked on my drink.

"Excuse me?" I asked and she chuckled softly. My head was pounding at the bizarre situation I was in.

"What's your name?" Katherine asked. Her dark brown eyes met my blue eyes. She really looked like Elena.

"I'm Vanessa Gilbert," I told. "What happened? Did Elena…" I trailed off. Even the thought of my twin dying hurt me.

"Your sister's alive," Katherine told and I sighed in relief. She saw Stefan saved Elena from death, and her eyes softened. 'So you still do love me,' she thought. She returned her gaze to Vanessa again. "Your sister looks exactly like me, isn't she?" Katherine questioned and I nodded.

"You two look exactly alike, but she wears her hair straight and…you give a different vibe," I said and took another sip of her drink.

"Well, you look like my sister too," Katherine said, feeling her heart clenched. She really missed her sister right now, and she just wanted to bawl her eyes out.

"Is that even possible?" I wondered and Katherine found herself smirking again. She pushed the thoughts about Cassidy far behind her mind and looked at Vanessa again.

"There are many impossible things that are real in this world, Vanessa," Katherine said and I lifted my slim golden eyebrow. Katherine's smirk widened, liking the Petrova fire in the human girl.

"Like what?" I challenged her.

"Vampires," Katherine simply replied and I laughed, finding it really ridiculous.

"Vampires? You are-oh God!" I screamed when Katherine bared her fangs at me. Her eyes were red and there were dark veins protruding under her eyes. Her face returned to normal in an instant and she laughed.

"Do you believe me now?" Katherine asked and I nodded, trying to sort everything out. What the hell. Dad did tell me about vampires but I'd always thought he only said that so I wouldn't come home late at night.

"What else? Werewolves? Witches?" I asked and she nodded making my jaw dropped. "They do?" I asked, bewildered and she laughed.

"Yes, but we'll talk about them some other time," Katherine said and I nodded.

"Why did you save me?" I asked and Katherine sighed.

"I didn't particularly save you, Vanessa. You are in transition," Katherine told and I frowned.

"A transition to what?" I asked and my eyes widened when I got it.

Katherine nodded, confirming my guess. "A vampire."

* * *

_**Mystic Falls, 1864**_

"_We have to leave, sister. The town is very much aware of our existence," Cassidy said hastily. Katherine suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and turned to look at her twin sister._

"_Cass, I want to stay. I'm tired of running around," Katherine sighed. She turned back to the mirror, releasing her hair from the fancy bun. "How long has it been since we ran away?" Katherine asked softly and Cassidy plopped down on the bed. She hated it when Katherine did that._

"_But we have to. It's not our choice, Ri. We have to run if we want to survive," Cassidy reminded her sister._

"_You don't have to remind me. I'm aware of that. Our whole family was slaughtered because I ran away, Klaus has made sure to remind me with that for my all eternity!" Katherine's voice shook and Cassidy met her brown eyes through the mirror._

"_And I betrayed Elijah for you. Our family was murdered because of me too," Cassidy said quietly. The memories of her family being impaled, the blood, it made her sick._

"_Why? Why us?" Katherine asked, tormented and Cassidy shook her head. "What have we done, sister?" Katherine stared into Cassidy's piercing blue eyes, searching for answers._

"_We did nothing wrong, Katerina. We only wanted to live," Cassandra said sadly._

* * *

"You are basically saying I am dead, right?" I asked and Katherine nodded impatiently.

"You were dying, so I gave you my blood to heal you. But then you died. Don't put the blame on me," Katherine said coolly and my jaw dropped.

"Wait, you're telling me not to blame you? You should've let me die! I was ready for it!" I exclaimed angrily and Katherine used her vampire speed on me, her hand was wrapped around my throat, cutting my air supply.

"Really? Are you sure of that?" Katherine asked mockingly as I fought to breathe. She released her iron grip on my neck and I gasped for air and shot Katherine a glare.

"What was that for?" I asked, angry at her action.

"You haven't even started to live, Vanessa. If it's true you're ready to die, ready to leave everything, go on. I'll lock you in the room so you won't get to feed and you'll die in less than a day," Katherine spat. I let out a frustrated scream and turned my back on Katherine. What the hell was I supposed to do? I tapped my fingers on the table rapidly, until I had come to a decision.

"Tell me more, about vampires and stuffs," I said and Katherine smirked.

* * *

_**England – 1492**_

_When Rose fed Katerina with her blood, the human knew everything was falling according to her plan. She waited until they were distracted, before the human hung herself. Katerina Petrova was dead._

_Katerina gasped for air, she was in transition. _

"_What did you do, Katerina? I would have helped you live," Trevor said, hints of pain and torment were in his voice._

"_You would have helped me run. That was never going to be enough," Katerina replied. _

"_It was enough for me," Trevor replied. He was in love with her, an advantage for her and a great disadvantage for him…and Rose. Katerina did not even care for him, she had never used him either. It was his choice._

"_Do you not see, Trevor?" Rose questioned. "She used you to help her escape and me to turn her. Klaus will see our role in this," Rose said frustratingly._

"_And for that I'm sorry," Katerina said._

"_As am I…for this!" Rose ran to Katerina in her vampire speed, and drove a stake at her. But Katerina was quicker, as she grabbed the old woman to shield herself. Rose pulled out the stake, looking shocked and Katerina drank from the woman's wound, completing her transition._

"_Please understand," Katerina said; blood smeared at her chin._

"_You have just signed our death sentence," Rose hissed. Katerina looked straight into Rose's eyes. The newly turned vampire's brown eyes were glinting with Petrova fire._

"_Better you die than I," she said before throwing the woman to Trevor, and escaped with her new vampire speed._

* * *

"The Sun burns us, but certain vampires have daylight jewellery to protect us from the sun," Katherine said, showing me her lapis lazuli necklace. "A wooden stake to the heart would completely kill you, and wood hurts you. Oh, vampires can compel humans to do whatever but it can be prevented with vervain. This herb burns our skin and weakens us. I've been taking it for centuries, to have endurance to it and prevent me from being compelled. I would suggest you to do the same," Katherine told.

"Garlic, holy water, crucifix, are myths?" I asked and she smirked.

"Yes, we're at least done with the vampire part. Should I get on with the doppelganger part?" Katherine asked and I looked at the vampire.

"What is it?" I asked tiredly. My head was pounding and all I wanted was to fall into a long and deep sleep.

"Aren't you at least curious about Cassandra's life, a vampire with the exact face as you? Don't you want to know why your sister looks exactly like me?" Katherine asked and placed her hands on her hips. "Believe me, this is the fun part," she told and I rolled my eyes.

"Try me," I said and Katherine smirked.

"I'll just summarize it for you," Katherine said as she didn't really want to tell Vanessa everything…yet. "My real name is Katerina Petrova, born in 1473 in Bulgaria with my twin sister, Cassandra. When I was sixteen, I had a baby out of wedlock. I brought shame to my family so they disowned me…and Cassandra stayed by my side. She ran with me to England, and we adapted quickly. There, I caught the eye of a nobleman, Klaus while Cassandra caught the eye of Klaus's brother, Elijah. These two men are the Originals. The first vampires in history," she told.

"Turns out, everything was a lie. Klaus wanted me for my doppelganger's blood to break a curse. I stole a moonstone from him; it binds the curse thus it is important for the ritual, and then I ran. Cassandra told me our blood is no use to Klaus as vampires so I got myself turned into one. I made my way to Bulgaria and met Cassandra in the middle of the journey. When we arrived, our whole family had been slaughtered by Klaus. It was his way to get me back, to punish me for running away," she said and sighed. Tears were glistening in her eyes but she didn't let them escape.

"In 1864, we settled in Mystic Falls, a small town. We went by Katherine and Cassidy Pierce, orphans and were taken under the wings of Mr Salvatore. He had two sons, Damon and Stefan, who are vampires that I turned. Stefan was the one who pulled you and your sister out of water by the way. Back to the story, the town was aware of vampires. They…they tried to find a way to kill us. Cassandra grew anxious day by day and pleaded that we leave. But I was in love with Stefan, and couldn't leave him. For once, I had lived my life instead of running away. That would be my greatest mistake," Katherine said, biting her lips and I could see how much she regretted it.

"Cassandra left and I promised I would find her later, but then…sometimes, things go wrong. I was caught and we, vampires were rounded up to be burned. But I managed to escape with help. I waited for at least a month, before I started searching for Cassandra. Five years of searching, I found nothing. Later on, she found me and after two decades, we went on separate ways again. I couldn't track her after that so I thought it would be better if we stay separated. In 1936, I found out she was caught and killed by Klaus. That was why I couldn't find her any longer," Katherine finished her story.

"So Klaus is a jerk, and…wait, you didn't tell me why we're doppelgangers," I said and Katherine looked at me guiltily. "Klaus needs a doppelganger to break the curse," I muttered and she nodded, confirming it.

"A doppelganger is created so the spell could be broken. You're safe as a vampire. Which is why I'm trying to make you into one," Katherine explained and I bit my lower lips, thinking.

"What about Elena?" I asked and she looked at me.

"I'll tell you more, Vanessa. But now isn't the time," Katherine said and I pursed my lips. I didn't want to argue. I agreed. This was actually too much to take in. She left me and returned a minute later with a blood bag. Katherine poured the thick, red liquid into a glass and placed it in front of me.

"Make your decision before the night comes," Katherine said and left the room, leaving me to stare at the glass that contained my life decision.

* * *

**Katherine seemed a bit OOC here, I guess but watching American Gothic made me realized that we don't really know who she is. Oh well, reviews are appreciated! And by the way, I really couldn't understand why Stefan couldn't save everyone in the car. He's a VAMPIRE. He can at least open the door and help Mr and Mrs Gilbert swim to the surface. Or he can just pulled them up and let them swim to the surface by themselves. The only explanation that I can think of is he's a bit weak because of his diet. **

**I know this is kind of late to start a story, but I would regret so much if I didn't post this. So, review and follow this story! **


	2. I'm Dead to You

**Wow, I'd like to thank all of you for your supports! This is amazing. I wanted to post it on last Thursday but something happened. I'm sorry for the delay! Hope you enjoy it!^^**

**After checking the details again, I found out Katherine and Elena did not share the same birthdays. But who cares, right? Elijah appears on the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Vanessa and Cassandra**

Chapter 2: I'm Dead to You

* * *

"_Your sister's alive,"_ Katherine's words replayed in my mind. Yes, that was all I need.

"Elena's alive. That's all what I need," I told myself, before bringing the glass filled with blood to my lips. I scrunched my nose at the strong iron smell but deep inside, there was an urge for me to drink it. So I did. I drank the red liquid called blood. It was just a small sip, and I waited for the taste to leave my tongue. But it didn't. I brought the glass to my lips again, this time letting myself to drain all the liquid in the glass.

It felt so right.

* * *

"_Elena, just because you have known Matt since babies, it doesn't mean you have to date him!" Vanessa said frustratingly. She was the only one who can see through Elena yet her sister wasn't really listening to her. Elena sighed._

"_But it seems right. Everyone expected us to be a couple," Elena shrugged. She didn't really want to talk about it right now. She wasn't in the mood for it._

"_You're fooling yourself," Vanessa rolled her blue eyes. "Then why it wasn't me? I'd known Matt since babies too," Vanessa reasoned and Elena looked at her twin sister in disbelief._

"_You and Matt?" She asked before bursting into laughter. Vanessa couldn't help but joined her. "Matt is surely not for you, sister," Elena said and Vanessa shot her a playful glare._

"_He's that 'nice guy' and that's boring, I prefer a man with challenge," Vanessa said and giggled, at the thought of the faceless man. He would be someone with dark eyes, dark hair, giving the vibe of a predator._

"_I still don't get it. Why would you? He might leave you and you might get hurt," Elena said with a hint of worry and Vanessa smirked. Vanessa patted Elena's cheek and looked at her sister, her eyes were glinting with excitement._

"_That kind of love that consumes you completely, don't you want it?" Vanessa asked as her lips curled into a smirk._

* * *

"Vanessa."

That was the first word that escaped Elena's lips. She was wearing the breathing mask, her hand was pierced with various needles, connecting her with the IV drip. She was feeling numb, but she can still feel how Vanessa's hand slipped from her grip. That thought feared Elena terribly.

"Oh, God! You're awake!" Jenna exclaimed almost hysterically. Her eyes were red and her pale cheeks were stained with tears, at the loss of her sister and niece. "Jeremy, call the doctor!" Jenna ordered and Elena heard the rushing footsteps of Jeremy.

"Where's she?" Elena managed to utter that question. Her throat was dry and her body was aching. "Aunt Jenna, where is she?" Elena asked again, this time with more force on her voice. Jenna looked away, she had been pondering on how to tell Elena the grief news. And now, she had too. The doctor walked in, and Jenna was glad to step away. She left the room and saw Jeremy leaning against the wall.

"Did you tell her?" Jeremy croaked, almost coming to tears at the thought of his blonde older sister. Vanessa was so close to Jeremy, always taking care of him. Jeremy was still having a hard time accepting the fact, hoping someone would just yell, 'Fool you!' and Vanessa would be laughing at his face.

But no, this wasn't a prank.

"I'm still waiting for the police," Jenna said. "I'm so sorry, Jeremy. But there's no way Vanessa would survi-"

"Her body wasn't found. There was still a chance that she's alive," Jeremy told Jenna harshly, before leaving the hospital. He made his way passed the nurses, visitors until he was out of the hospital and until he couldn't smell the sickening smell of the medicine. He dropped to his knees, and sobbed. Tears that he had held since he received the news were finally pouring out. He couldn't stop it, it hurt so much.

"Please, just please be alive," he prayed softly and pleadingly. Hoping for a miracle. This was too much for him to handle.

* * *

"I don't feel dead," I told Katherine and the older vampire rolled her eyes. As gross as it sounded, I had finished a blood bag of B+ and as ashamed as it sounded, I found it delicious.

"So it's time. Vampire 101, are you good?" Katherine asked casually and nonchalantly. But deep inside her was joy. She was so happy at the new vampire in front of her. It was like being with Cassidy again. It was like being with her dearest twin sister again.

"Sunlight burns and will kill us," Katherine began, walking toward me who was hiding in the dark. It was around noon and the sun made its way through the window, yet Katherine walked casually under the sunlight, with the help of her daylight necklace.

"So do I get one?" I asked, nodding at Katherine's necklace.

"You'll get to wear the old mine while I get a new one for you," Katherine said, showing me a beautiful lapis lazuli necklace with a woman carved on it in white.

"Yay, second-hand necklace," I muttered sarcastically and Katherine rolled her eyes. Nevertheless, I clasped the necklace around my neck before braving myself to go out of the sunlight. My hand bathed under the orange light and like I was still human, nothing happened.

"It is also important for you to learn how to fight, it comes in hand-" Katherine couldn't finish her words as I groaned at the sudden sharp pain from my gum. It was as if someone was stabbing it over and over and ripped it opened.

"Oh my God!" I managed to scream, my hand was over my mouth, trying to suppress the pain but nothing would do. I let out a heavy breath once the pain was gone. I cast a glance at the mirror and saw the fangs.

"Good, you get your fangs. You'll drink from vein soon enough," Katherine said, walking passed me.

"Drinking from humans?" I asked, trailing behind her.

"Yes, no worries, you don't have to kill them if you don't want to. You can just compel them to forget," Katherine said and turned to look at me. "After that there's someone I'd like you to meet."

"Who?" I asked although I knew Katherine wouldn't tell me.

"That will be a surprise," Katherine smirked and called a human girl forward. "There, your meal."

I wasn't that hungry, and I didn't feel the need to feed from the human girl. Moreover, she was just about my age which made me kind of guilty. Katherine rolled her eyes, before her face changed and she ripped the girl's neck. Blood was gushing out from the wound and the sweet scent hit me in the face. It was clearly different. Even the scent was more alluring.

"Come on, Vanessa. You want to," Katherine said, provoking me. I tried to fight it, but let out a curse of frustration as I realized it was against my nature. I ran to the girl in a vampire speed, dark veins appeared around my eyes and my fangs lowered. Without any hesitant, I sunk my fangs into the girl's neck. A moan escaped my lips as the blood exploded in my mouth. It was so amazing. The blood from the blood bag satisfied your need, but the blood from the vein satisfied your lust.

"Vanessa," I heard Katherine called me. "Stop," she told but I couldn't. I knew I had to but I couldn't. "Stop now if you don't want to be a murderer," she told me sharply and the thought of killing someone made me stopped. I removed my lips from her neck and breathed heavily.

"You can give her your blood to heal her, but if she died, she'll become a vampire," Katherine told and I shook my head. I couldn't take the risk. "Okay, make her forget," she told.

"H-how?" I asked. The scent of blood was distracting me and I tried to focus on Elena's doppelganger instead of the alluring scent.

"Easy. It's like giving an order," Katherine shrugged and I bit my lips as I turned to the girl.

"You will leave and forget everything that happened here. And patch that wound up," I told and watched in amazement as her pupils dilated, before she repeated my orders like a robot. Without another words, she left the house.

"That's amazing," I said with a grin and Katherine smirked.

"Go take a shower and just wear my clothes for now. Be here when you're ready," Katherine said and patted my cheek affectionately.

* * *

The shower hadn't only clean my body, but also calmed me down and relaxed my mind. A lot of things had happened; I died, became a vampire, drained a blood bag and almost killed a girl. I sighed and wrapped a towel around my body. I had liked Katherine's preference in fashion, as it matched mine. I slipped on a blue tank top and jeans, and dried my blonde hair.

Being with Katherine, did ease the longing a little. Katherine looked exactly like Elena, a doppelganger. Hell, Katherine could be Elena's twin instead of me. But Katherine wasn't Elena. Katherine was more cunning, sly, but I could see Elena in her. It made me wonder if I resembled Cassandra in any way other than my looks.

Everything was quiet, too quiet when I headed downstairs. It made me wary and I tried to focus on my hearing, trying to hear the slightest movement. Someone was coming from my left in a very fast speed, and I barely managed to dodge his attack. The presence grabbed my throat and I instantly kicked him in the guts, before pushing him to the wall, my hand was on his throat.

"She's natural," A black haired woman commented and Katherine smirked proudly.

"Of course she is. She's a Petrova," Katherine said. "You can let him go," she told and I warily released the man. He was obviously a vampire and tried to attack me again, but I was ready. I swept his leg making him fall and then saw Katherine throwing a stake which I caught. I stabbed the man on the stomach, making him groaned in pain.

"You missed," Katherine told, coming over.

"Where's the fun if I went straight to his heart?" I asked and for a second, I almost lost myself. What was this? Who was this person? She sounded evil and ruthless.

"Kill him," Katherine said. "You need to know how to kill or to torture a vampire, it'll come in handy, trust me."

"You make it like every life doesn't matter to you," I said bitterly and Katherine stopped at her tracks.

"Don't look at me with those judgy little eyes," Katherine sneered. "You'll learn about me and only then, you decide," she said poisonously and I nodded. "If you don't kill him, he'll kill you. He's a bit hot-tempered even as a human, so everything is heightened. You don't want to die so easily, now do you?" Katherine said and I rolled my eyes at how the older vampire managed to make me do as she said, _again_. I pulled out the stake from his stomach, and drove it into his heart. The vampire turned pale and grey, dead for the second time.

"Follow me," Katherine said and I followed her into the kitchen, with another vampire following us. "Introduce yourself," Katherine said to the black haired vampire.

The woman sighed, before looking into my blue eyes. I found her grey eyes very familiar, yet distant. "My name is Isobel, and I'm your birth mother," she said, making my jaw dropped. Was this some kind of huge prank that needed planning for months?

"What the hell are you talking about?" I blurted out instantly.

"It's true, Vanessa. I gave birth to you and Elena," Isobel said and I ran a hand through my hair, trying to comprehend the new shocking information.

"Are you saying my mother, isn't my real mother?" I asked. This woman in front of me can't just show up and told me she was my mother.

"It's complicated. You don't know how much I've wanted to see you," she said softly, looking at me with pleading eyes.

"Drop the act. I can see through you," I snapped and walked passed my so-called mother.

"Not so fast, darling," Katherine said, her lips were curled into a smirk. "Come later, will you?" Katherine asked Isobel and the black haired woman nodded reluctantly. I sighed when the woman disappeared from my sight.

"It's too much. I was living a completely normal life and next, I was bombarded with so many new, shocking things," I told her.

"You'll get over it," Katherine said, pouring me a glass of bourbon. "Drinking alcohol helps you with the craving," she informed and I thanked her. Now that I had spent some times with Katherine, I could tell that the two persons were different yet similar in a way. Katherine is more like the evil-Elena. While Elena was afraid of being bad, Katherine didn't really care. And so was I.

The alcohol cooled me down and made my mind clear slightly. "You okay?" Katherine asked and I didn't know what to answer.

"My parents are dead. It's impossible to be okay," I said bitterly. Katherine seemed to be deep in her thought, probably thinking of her dead family too.

"You know, Vanessa. There's a switch," Katherine said and I looked up at her. "A humanity switch. Can you feel it?" she asked and I frowned.

"As a vampire, you can turn it off. It'll hurt less. You wouldn't care at all," Katherine told me and I found what she said was true. I could feel the switch. Not literally, but it was like I could turn everything off. "But whatever happens, NEVER turn it off. Do you understand me?" Katherine asked darkly. Her brown eyes were looking at me intensely, and I nodded.

"Yeah," I replied. "I wouldn't turn it off, that's not me," I told and she gave me a genuine smile.

* * *

**June 22, 2009**

"Happy birthday!" my sleep was interrupted by Katherine.

"Is it a must that you wake me at this hour?" I grumbled and Katherine laughed, pulling the blanket off me.

"How long has it been since I celebrate my birthday with another Petrova?" Katherine said, tapping her chin as she pretended to think. I laughed lightly. Katherine might be over five centuries years old, but she can still be a girl.

"Right, it's your birthday too. Happy birthday…grandma," I muttered the last word under my breath but of course, she caught that.

"What did you say?" Katherine asked and I feigned confusion.

"What did I say?" I asked and Katherine eyed me, before tickling me making me yelped.

"Stop, stop! Stop!" I screamed and Katherine laughed, finally stopping.

"Where's my present?" She asked and I grinned.

"Right in front of you," I replied cheekily and she laughed.

"Fair enough," she said and handed me a long velvet box.

"I thought we agreed on no presents rule," I pouted but accepted the gift happily. Inside it was a beautiful lapis lazuli necklace. Katherine really did have a good taste.

"This isn't really a present. I promised I'll get a new necklace for you, so, yeah," Katherine said and I smiled.

"Kat, it's beautiful," I said and Katherine smiled.

"I know you'd like it," she said and I smiled, pulling my hair up.

"Help me put it on," I asked and she complied. "Really beautiful. Thank you," I said again and the older vampire waved it off.

"I'll see you downstairs for our…birthday meal," Katherine told with a smirk.

"I'll be there," I said and Katherine left. I pulled the drawer opened and fished out a wrapped box. I played with the present and sighed. "Happy birthday, Elena," I said longingly, before keeping the present at the back of the drawer again.

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_Today's our birthday. It's supposed to be a happy day for us to celebrate. But all I feel is pain. I never celebrate my birthday without Vanessa before but this year and onwards, I'd have to celebrate it alone. Do I actually have to? This is a reminder that I am all alone. It brings me pain so much. Losing mum and dad is already painful enough but losing my twin sister? What have I done to receive this punishment? _

_Sister, I'm not strong without you. I don't think I can ever get used to this emptiness. I don't have to forget, like Aunt Jenna said. I just have to try to think that you're away for a few days and we'll meet again later. How pathetic is that?_

_You're my other half, Vanessa. It was like someone ripped my soul into half when they told me you were gone. I don't want to believe them but I'm not a fool either. I wish you were here, sister._

_Happy birthday._

Elena wiped the falling tears angrily, angry that she had broken her promise. She promised herself to not cry anymore, but today was the day. When Elena woke up this morning, she had shut her eyes closed and imagined Vanessa was there. She imagined Vanessa jumping on her bed and forcing her to wake up. She imagined Vanessa's happy and lively laugh when Jeremy made a silly joke. Elena imagined the beautiful pink lips that curved into a sweet smile when Mum wished them a happy birthday. She imagined Vanessa's whines so that Dad would finally give the blonde her birthday present.

But everything was a pathetic imagination. The truth was too bitter.

Vanessa was gone, Vanessa was dead. And she, Elena, was all alone.

* * *

**I love to know what you think of this chapter and story! So review! **

**And I created a tumblr just now, so I can post pictures easily. And you can ask questions, remind me to update there too but don't forget to review here! ^^ snakebite4 .tumblr .com  
**


	3. Missing You

**There are so many things happening in this chapter, so enjoy. I hope it doesn't look like I'm rushing. I just think all these things should happen in this chapter.**

**The first event took place after Mason triggered the curse. He was now 'dating' and working with Katherine. And Vanessa visiting Elena and Jeremy took place in Unpleasantville (1x12). Elena was stalked by Noah and Anna was in town.**

**Enjoy! Btw, I watched Unpleasantville yesterday and I remembered how much I loved Elena at that time. And now that she gets her humanity back, I think she's really back. But that doesn't mean I'll forget that she had killed Kol!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Vanessa and Cassandra. **

Chapter 3: Missing You

* * *

**September 2009 – Florida**

"Who the hell was that?" I asked, making a disgusted face. Katherine had been making out with a man, and I had avoided the living room for the whole day.

"That's my new…ally?" she asked questioningly and I looked at her. "That's Mason Lockwood. Be careful, he bites," Katherine said with a sly grin and I rolled my eyes at her.

"And what's he here for?" I asked.

"Remember the moonstone I told you about?" she asked and I nodded. "He'll help me get it," Katherine said and I narrowed my eyes.

"He's a werewolf, can we trust him?" I asked and Katherine smirked.

"I have him wrapped around my finger," she told and I shuddered which she laughed.

"Okay, look. You told me about the curse and Elena had to die. You also told me that Klaus had slaughtered your family because you ran away. So running away from Klaus or changing Elena is out of options," I said and she nodded.

"And you told me you had a plan," I said and Katherine gave me a Cheshire cat grin.

"Yep, although I'm not sure you'll like it," she said and I raised an eyebrow at her. "Elijah had feelings for Cassandra, remember? They were lovers for centuries even after we left England. Elijah would help Cassandra and I escaped, and warn us when Klaus was near," Katherine told.

"Wow," I said, impressed.

"So the plan is…you," Katherine said and my eyes widened. She couldn't be thinking of what I was thinking right? "You'll pose as Cassandra and meet Elijah-"

"Whoa there, _Kathy_, you're crazy," I said, bewildered at her plan. "You want me to fool an Original? I haven't met them, but from your stories, they aren't dumb."

"Calm down," Katherine said, annoyed at my pacing back and forth. "You look _exactly_ like my sister," she told, stressing out her point.

"You look exactly like my sister too and I, can differentiate you two easily," I countered and she gave me a look.

"I'll teach you how to act, talk, think like her. Please, Vanessa," Katherine said hopefully and I looked away. "You want Elena to be safe, right? Elijah will do anything for Cassandra. You tell him you want the doppelganger to stay alive and he'll make sure Elena stays alive," Katherine said and I sighed, frustrated.

"You're very manipulative, you know that right?" I asked, giving in and she smirked.

* * *

**November 25, 2009 – Mystic Falls**

Six months had passed since my transition to a vampire. Six months had passed since I met Katherine and Isobel. Six months had passed since the last I saw my family. So I had decided to pay them a little visit.

It was quiet and I assumed they must be an event at school. Mystic Falls was always rich in throwing events and parties. I smiled sadly at this. If I was still here, I would be enjoying myself with Elena. I saw my house from afar and held back a sigh. This wasn't the time for me to be a coward. It was my house after all. Putting on a determined face, I dug my hands into my coat pockets, not to keep them warm but to keep them from shaking.

I had to admit, I was nervous. I wasn't nervous if anyone noticed me, I was nervous to go back to this place called home.

Home.

Gilbert's House.

It didn't look any different at all. It was almost like nothing had changed. It was as if our parents were still in there with me, Elena, Jeremy and Jenna. This was making me homesick. I shook my head just to clear my mind from my past, from the past that I haven't let go, and walked towards the house.

I had no intention in ringing the bell so I proceeded to my room. The curtains were however, blocking my view. I sighed, wanting to be in there so badly that I would just reveal myself. Then I heard someone entering my room. Jenna? Elena? He or she didn't stay long but I heard the sound of my closet door being opened. That must be Elena borrowing my stuff. My lips curved into a smile and I really wanted to be there with her. I missed this. Sighing, I jumped off from the balcony.

"Just one look, Vanessa. And you'll go back," I said to myself. I quickly hid behind the tree when I heard the front door was opened. Jeremy walked out and I saw Jenna telling him to be careful and she would be there later. I watched as Jeremy absentmindedly nodded and bade goodbye and walked passed my hiding spot.

You never realized how much you missed someone until you see them. That, I knew from this moment.

"Jeremy!" I had called out without another thought. I didn't even care if he didn't want to see me or if he thought I was a ghost. I missed him so much. Because there was no light, he narrowed his eyes to see if I was really his dead sister.

"How-" he was truly confused. It was kind of cute. I pulled him into a tight hug, and had to remind myself of my super strength and that I could easily crush his bone. I buried my face in his neck, feeling the tears welling up in my eyes. "Oh my God, it's really you," he muttered with so much gratefulness, so much happiness that I broke down into endless sobs. In my arms was my little brother that I treasured so much, that I had always been afraid to lose.

"How is this even possible?" Jeremy asked, pulling away to have a good look at me. His hands were gripping my shoulders tightly as if to keep me from disappearing. I looked into his brown eyes, his face that I had missed so much and closed my eyes to remember this feeling.

"You've become taller," I commented, ignoring his question. I found myself smiling, as I reached to touch his face. "I-I missed you so much," I told him and he wiped my tears. He too, was crying which made me chuckled. We were crying but we were smiling. I couldn't tell you how contented I was.

"Where have you been? We-we thought you were-you were gone," he said, his voice cracked at the end which made me laughed lightly. I held his face in my hands, wiping another tear that fell with my thumb.

"It doesn't matter, does it?" I asked and he nodded, smiling. I missed that smile. I gave him another hug and brought his head down, since he was so tall, and kissed his forehead. I let my lips lingered there, to show how much I really care for him. I had killed. I had toyed with humans. I admitted I wasn't good at all. But Jeremy made me forget that I was a vampire. I realized I had never cared for someone this much.

"You won't remember that you see me tonight. You will forget the conversation we had, but you should know that we'll see each other again. Remember that I love you, and I will always be your sister," I compelled him. My tears were falling freely as I compelled him, and I hope it didn't affect my compulsion.

"I love you, Jer," I told him softly, before truly disappearing into thin air.

Jeremy shook his head in daze, trying to clear his mind. He felt this weird feeling that he couldn't describe. He was still in front of his house, and wondered what had he been doing for a couple of minutes that he hadn't gone to school yet. He couldn't describe this, but he… as impossible as it sounded, he knew he would get to see Vanessa again. He just knew that.

* * *

I waited for Elena to come out, wanting to get this night over with. If I had been crying like a baby when I saw Jeremy, I didn't know how I would be when I see Elena. I heard footsteps and saw one of the Salvatore brothers and assumed it would be Stefan based on his appearance as Katherine had told me. I heard Elena's terrified scream and I was relieved to see Stefan rushed inside since I couldn't get in.

I saw a blur of vampire running out of the house and decided to run after him. He stopped suddenly and blurred to me in his vampire speed, but I dodged his attack and pinned him against the wall. His red eyes and fangs were bared, and so was I.

"Cassidy?" he asked, his face changed to normal as he blinked his eyes in daze a few times. So this would be some vampires from 1864.

"Hello to you too," I smirked, showing my fangs. "Don't touch the doppelganger," I hissed threateningly and his eyes widened in fear.

"No, I was not…we-we're trying to get the tomb open!" he blurted out and I released him. I narrowed my eyes at him as my face turned to normal.

"Who else are you working with?" I asked and he hesitated to answer. "Who else are you working with?" I asked again, shoving my hand into his chest. He gasped in pain and I wrapped my hand around his heart.

"Anna. Annabelle," he rasped and I pulled my hand out of his chest.

"Whatever you do, don't hurt Elena. Get it?" I asked and he nodded hastily. I dashed out of his sight with my vampire speed and phoned Katherine.

_"The hottest doppelganger talking. How can I help you?"_ she sang and I rolled my eyes.

"There are vampires trying to open the tomb," I told her.

_"Let me guess. You're in Mystic Falls,"_ she said and I rolled my eyes at the obvious statement.

"Yep. It's visiting hours," I replied.

_"Is it the Salvatores?"_ she asked and I pursed my lips.

"I don't think they are working together. He said he's working with Anna. Could it be?" I asked, referring to Anna, the daughter of Pearl from 1864.

_"It must be her. Thanks for letting me know,"_ she said and I hummed, ending the call. As much as I wanted to see Elena, Caroline, Bonnie, I knew it wasn't for the best. Sighing, I headed back to the house I was staying.

* * *

**February 26, 2010 – Greenville, North Carolina**

"Where's Katherine?" I asked the black haired vampire.

"She's gone to Mystic Falls," Isobel answered and I grew alarmed.

"For what?" I asked quickly and Isobel looked at me.

"She's getting the moonstone. She won't touch Elena, don't worry," Isobel told me and I pursed my lips. Katherine hated Elena just like I hated Cassandra. It wasn't like Elena had done something to Katherine. And I had never met Cassandra. We just didn't like the fact there was someone else that looked exactly like us. It was annoying.

"So _mum_, I want breakfast," I said, whining slightly to Isobel. She looked irritated but her lips twitched, trying not to smile.

"I had actually planned our day out," Isobel said and I raised an eyebrow at her. She brought me to a cemetery in Grove Hill, and we stopped to take a bite before visiting her grave.

"Nice," I commented flatly as she told me about her parents bringing flowers to her grave, even though she wasn't there. I wondered if Elena and Jeremy did the same to me.

"I have always wanted to meet you and tell you how much I love you. I just never thought we would meet this way," Isobel said and I smiled.

"You turned it off didn't you?" I asked and she nodded.

"Emotions are heightened and the guilt that I felt was terrible. I have to not care. So I turned it off," Isobel said.

"And now you just have to act like you don't care," I stated, walking to a tree and plucked a bunch of flowers at the base of the tree. I placed them on the grave as Isobel watched me.

"Hello, mum," I started. I was silent for a while, to arrange my words. "Even though you gave us away, I knew you wanted the best for Elena and I. So thank you, we had a good life. And…as any other daughters would, I want to get to know you. But life's a bitch. I've changed. And so are you. We're no longer the persons we used to be…I really wish you can meet me when I was still me," I said and sighed.

"Do me a favour," I spoke without looking at Isobel. "Forget what I said," I told and turned on my heels, but not without catching a glimpse of a genuine smile on her face. I let out a deep breath, knowing even if life wasn't the same, I still lived.

* * *

If there was something I like, it was reading. Some people may make fun of me, but by reading, you will be in a different world. Being a vampire, and had nothing to do, I had read Isobel's collection of history. The Civil War, the American Revolution, stories about Vikings, the Victorian Era, I loved it. I envied Katherine for living for five centuries and had the power to travel without worrying. But she had told me:

_"I'd never lived,"_ Katherine told me sadly when I asked how the 17th century was.

Well, her story did make me pity her. I mean, how can someone be so ruthless to sacrifice an innocent? Now he's coming for Elena.

My phone rang and I wasn't surprised to see Isobel's name on the screen.

"_I found him,"_ she said briskly and I put down my book.

"Good, took you long enough," I commented nonchalantly although my inside was churning in anxiety.

"_Are you sure you want to do this?"_ she asked and I could hear a hint of worry in her voice.

"Yes," I answered without hesitating and hang up. I took a deep breath and looked into the mirror. "Well, Cassandra. It's time," I said as I stared into the familiar deep blue eyes.

* * *

"Wow, he's handsome," I said, biting my lips at the pictures of Elijah. I had pictured him as someone so dangerous but I'd never know he was this handsome. Isobel had finally tracked him down in Concord, and we were on our way there.

"He's too old for you," Isobel retorted and I laughed. That was funny.

"I'm going to enjoy this," I said with a grin. The man in the picture was very handsome with his high cheekbones and strong jawline. But the one thing that captivated me was his dark eyes that seemed to be so mysterious and dark. He wore expensive tailored suit in every picture, and had a funny hairstyle. "I hope he'll change his hair," I mumbled and could see that Isobel rolled her eyes.

"Please don't do anything stupid," Isobel said and I hummed.

"Look at his eyes," I said excitedly, showing a picture of his face at Isobel and she seemed irritated by my giddiness.

"Vanessa," she called me with that motherly tone of her. "He's a thousand years old vampire who is not only smart, but can see through lies and acts. If you're caught-"

"I know, thank you for caring," I cut her off. "But if it didn't work, I'm sure he's interested in knowing where Katherine is," I said with a smirk and Isobel took her eyes off the road to stare at me.

"_If_ it didn't work," I stressed out the 'if' and she looked worried. "I know what I'm doing," I said.

"Do you?" she questioned.

"Hey, we're passing Durham. You said you studied and work at…Duke University wasn't it?" I asked as I saw the signboard.

"Vanessa," Isobel said and I pursed my lips.

"I may be young, but I'm not an idiot," I said, glaring at her.

"Surely a thousand years old vampire could outsmart you," Isobel reasoned and I rolled my eyes.

"Surely you should have more faith in your daughter," I mimicked the way she talked and she narrowed her eyes at me making me grinned. "Everything will be fine," I assured her.

"I may not show it, but I do care for you," she uttered softly and I glanced at her.

"I do too," I said and our eyes met. The grey eyes that showed nothing but coldness, but I remembered it. They had once showed me compassions and love when I was in her arms. If we weren't doppelgangers, will Elena or I looked anything like her? I had wondered.

I averted my eyes from hers and she did the same. We'd reached a mutual, unspoken agreement. We'd never mention this again.

* * *

"There," Isobel said and I spotted Elijah in a coffee shop. He looked like a businessman waiting for a client and I took a deep breath.

"How do I look?" I asked Isobel.

"Beautiful," she replied with a soft smile and I found my heart leaped in joy. I had always heard that from Mom but to hear it from my birth mother, was something else. She wasn't as close as Mom was to me but Isobel was still my mother.

"Wish me luck," I said hastily, climbing out of the car. She nodded at me and I waited for her to drive away. "Please work," I prayed before taking a step towards the coffee shop. Elijah was sitting near the window glass but he wasn't facing me.

"Elijah," I whispered his name softly as I walked past him. The only thing that separated us was the window glass but I knew he would hear me. I felt him look up and stood, his eyes were hard on me. I continued to walk down the road, with my hands in my coat pocket. My slightly curled blonde hair cascaded down my back, a contrast to my black trench coat to make it easier for him to spot me.

Elijah was trailing behind me warily. Every step he took was cautious and guarded, thinking this was a trap. I stopped at my tracks when we had reached an alley, and slowly and calmly, I turned around to face him. Gosh, he looked much gorgeous in person.

"Impossible," Elijah breathed, appearing in front of me in a split second. His eyes searched for mine, and then it looked for my face, lips and neck frantically. It was as if he couldn't believe it. He wanted to but he couldn't. He caressed my face gently and his finger traced my lips. He closed the gap between us, needing to know if this was real.

I kissed him back without hesitation, and closed my eyes as I enjoyed his lips against mine. His kisses were gentle yet passionate and I could feel love radiating from him. I pulled away and looked into his eyes, caressing his face before smiling.

"Elijah," I called him softly and he looked disbelieved but grateful.

"Cassandra," he said lovingly. His deep voice melted my heart and I smiled when he held my face. "How?" he asked and I could only smile as I placed my hand above his hand.

"I've missed you," I told him. I had to admit I really felt guilty. I could see how happy and hopeful this powerful Original got at the thought of me being his lover.

"As am I," he said huskily, pulling me into his embrace. I sighed deeply, burying my face in his neck. He kissed my hair and I closed my eyes, thinking how lucky Cassandra was to have someone loving her so deeply.

"Where is Katerina?" Elijah asked, pulling away from me.

"She's not here," I told him. "Are you with Klaus?" I asked nervously and he looked at me deeply. In a blink, Elijah had his hand around my throat and slammed me against the wall. His eyes turned red and dark veins appeared around his eyes, and I grew alarmed.

"Who are you?" his pupil dilated, compelling me.

"Cassandra Petrova," I choked out and he released his hand from my neck. His strong hands grabbed my shoulder, his head low, trying to think. "Elijah," I called softly. "What's wrong?"

His eyes looked up at me, and I could see through his soul. His pain and his love for Cassandra, mixed with betrayal. He pulled me closed to him, and lowered his face to my neck. I could feel his hot breath on my neck, sending shivers down my spine. Only then I realized what he was doing.

As soon as Elijah breathed her sweet scent and smelled the vervain, a low growl emitted from his throat.

"What mockery is this?" he asked calmly yet dangerously. I could hear his fury in his voice.

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning. The last thing I saw was his deep brown eyes before my world went black.

Elijah snapped the woman's neck, much like what he did to Cassandra five centuries ago to turn her into a vampire. The Cassandra look-alike grew limp and fell to him and he caught her, scooping her in his arms. He looked at her deeply and felt his heart clenched. He never thought he would see her face again. He wanted to kiss her, make her his but he knew this wasn't Cassandra. He sighed and headed to his house in vampire speed.

* * *

_**1492 - England  
**_

_Katerina's giggles made his heart fluttered, as he chased her leisurely. _

"_You're meant to catch me," she said, slightly frustrated at Elijah who refused to catch her. _

"_If I catch you, the game will be over," he said and Katerina smiled, taking a breath after running for a while._

"_Thank you for entertaining me," Katerina said and Elijah smiled at Tatia's doppelganger. He missed her very much, and knew he would love this doppelganger that was smiling at him. The sweet smile that he had missed for more than five centuries._

"_You looked lonely inside, so I took pity on you," Elijah replied and Katerina shot him a playful glare. Elijah smiled at her as she took a seat on the bench._

"_Klaus promised to spend the day with me, but he never returned home from the night," Katerina said with a sad sigh. She was confused by his interest in her. _

"_Yes, Klaus does not live by any rules but his own," Elijah said._

"_He is a very charming man. Hard for anyone to resist, I suppose," Katerina told, knowing that she couldn't help but fell in love with Klaus._

"_And yet…" Elijah trailed off, questioning her._

"_I know not why he courts me. He seems to not care about me at all," Katerina said, finally confessing her confusion about Klaus._

"_He does, sister," a voice interrupted them from behind, and Elijah turned around. It was Katerina's twin sister, Cassandra. If Katerina looked exactly like Tatia, Cassandra too looked exactly like Tatia's twin sister, Ada. "What do I interrupt?" Cassandra asked, meeting the dark eyes of Elijah before turning to her sister._

"_You told me you wanted to stay inside," Katerina said rather defensively, getting up from the bench. She knew that look of her sister. She was scolding her silently for flirting with Elijah._

"_Klaus is asking for you, he's returned," Cassandra said simply. _

"_I'll be seeing him then. Thank you, Elijah," the brunette said, before casting a look at her twin sister and left the two alone._

"_I'm sorry for interrupting," Cassandra said and Elijah just gave her a small smile. She picked up her skirt and turned on her heels, to leave._

"_Wait," Elijah called, making up his mind._

"_Yes, my Lord?" Cassandra asked, turning around._

"_Would you like to take a walk with me?" he asked and although she found no reason for him to wanting to walk with her, she nodded._

* * *

"It is possible," Dr Martin said. "It could be a witch trick, or she could be the doppelganger," he explained but Elijah shook his head.

"The bloodline ends with Katerina and Cassandra," Elijah stated. He hoped that this was Cassandra. He needed the woman in front of him to be her. But deep inside, although he refused to acknowledge it, he knew.

He had lost Cassandra forever.

* * *

_**1492 - England  
**_

"_Although it may seem unlikely that I tell you this, but I need you to know," Cassandra hesitated after she and Elijah talked of small things._

"_What could it be?" Elijah asked and Cassandra took a deep breath._

"_My sister, she…" Cassandra trailed off, trying to find the right word. "She always wanted more. When I saw her with you, I was afraid if she might be courting with you," Cassandra said carefully. "I have no desire to have you and Klaus fight over a woman." _

_Her words made him think about his long time feud with Klaus over Tatia. And what had it come into? Tatia was dead. _

"_I do not believe in love, Cassandra. And I hold my family above everything else," Elijah spoke calmly, looking into her deep blue eyes._

"_Do you?" Cassandra questioned, daringly meeting his eyes. Elijah however, couldn't answer her. "Life is too cruel, my Lord. If we cease to believe in love, why would we want to live?" she asked and Elijah stared at her._

"_You seemed upset of Klaus courting your sister," Elijah stated after a moment of silence and Cassandra laughed softly._

"_I do not have feelings for Niklaus," she said, meeting Elijah's eyes. Her heart fluttered as she looked into his dark eyes, feeling herself lost in his soul. "But I am bothered as he seems to not care about my sister at all," she said voicing out her worries._

"_Klaus is not one who shows his emotions well," Elijah stated and Cassandra looked at him._

"_He seems to have another reasons," she said with a sigh. "If you happened to know, do tell me," she said and Elijah nodded after a while. _

* * *

"What are you going to do with her?" The Warlock asked as Elijah took her limp body in his arms.

"We'll get her to talk," Elijah replied, before heading to the guest room. He placed her on the bed and sat down, staring at her face longingly.

"_If we cease to believe in love, why would we want to live?" _

Her voice asked in his mind and he sighed. He had stopped loving ever since she died.

"I expect you to wake up soon," he uttered under his breath, and couldn't help but caressed her face softly.

* * *

**Bam bam bam! I fell asleep yesterday and new ideas appeared out of nowhere so that kinda explains why I'm posting this quite late. REVIEWS! The chapter is quite long, and I hope it makes up the delay. I love you guys 3 and hope you guys love this chapter :)  
**


	4. No More Lies

**A/N: So guysss I'm back from Goldcoast! xD Australia is a very fun place, I really love it there. The people there are really friendly and good looking! Mwahahahha, so as usual I only own Vanessa and Cassandra/Cassidy**

Chapter 4: No More Lies

* * *

A groan escaped my lips as I regained my consciousness and I opened my eyes slowly. I was in an unfamiliar yet comfortable room, the wall was painted in light blue and the bed was comfy. The dark blue curtains blocked the sun so I couldn't guess what time was it. I massaged the back of my neck as I tried to sit up straight.

"Oh God, Elijah!" I gasped in realization as I remembered the whole thing. As if on cue, the door opened and Elijah walked in, looking at me with his dark eyes. His presence itself radiated power and authority, making my stomach lurched as hundreds of possibilities ran through my mind.

"Elijah," I murmured his name softly. I watched as his dark eyes flickered with sorrow before he regained his composure.

"Stop pretending," he said sharply and powerfully. I couldn't breathe as he walked closer to me, afraid at what he would do. "Who are you?" He asked forcefully.

"How can you not know me?" I asked, feigning hurt. My eyes searched for his, staring at him in a way that would make any man melt, including him.

"Who are you?" He asked more forcefully, grabbing my upper arm. Only then I realized he was trying to compel me.

"Cassandra Petrova," I replied smoothly. His jaw clenched, making me squirmed as his intense gaze penetrated my soul. He knew.

"I advise you to stop lying and answer me truthfully, woman."

"Elijah," I called his name softly, trying to show all my love to this stranger through my eyes. I took another dangerous move by caressing his face with my hand softly and I thought it worked. His eyes fluttered closed as he felt my caress and his posture relaxed. The next thing I knew, he had stabbed me with a knife right in my stomach.

"I warned you," he told me calmly yet dangerously. A man walked into the room with a rope and Elijah dragged me and sat me on a chair. His touch was gentle and tender, as if he didn't want to hurt me. I hissed in pain as my skin made contact with the rope. The man had tied my hands with the rope laced with vervain, burning my skin.

"Why are you posing as Cassandra?" He asked and I could only look at him. Was it worth it to be tortured to convince this Original that I was Cassandra? Or should I just give up right now? But giving up was never in my dictionary. I was a crazy person even when I was human.

"Ah," I moaned in pain as I felt my head was about to explode, and sighed in relief when the pain was gone.

"I'm a very patient man, darling. We can do this for the whole day," Elijah told me and nodded at the man. Apparently, the man must be a warlock as he made my head hurt again. I screamed in pain when Elijah poured a vial of vervain on my hand, burning my skin. I had taken vervain for months, but never came in contact with the herb until now.

"Bleed her," Elijah ordered the man, before walking out of the room. The warlock used his witchy magic to cut my hands and arms, but the cuts would close the next second. As time went by, the cuts got deeper and deeper, making me wondered if this was all worth it.

* * *

"Are you done?" I asked tiredly, as a pair of leather shoes came into my view. I must have passed out because of the pain and the tiredness from being tortured. Elijah's rough palm caressed my cheek, before tilting my chin up to meet his eyes.

"How I wish you're Cassandra," he murmured, staring at every inch of my face as he thought back of his old lover. "But I know better," he said bitterly. "Who are you?" he asked and I didn't answer.

"Elijah, please…stop this," I pleaded as my head rested on my shoulder. How many hours had passed since the warlock stopped bleeding me? I didn't know. I was so weak that it took so much strength to just utter a word.

"Did Niklaus send you?" Elijah asked, his voice was hard. Plans started forming in my head, trying to make up lies if I were to say Klaus did send me. But no, I wasn't Katherine. I couldn't do as good as her.

"It's me, Elijah," I uttered weakly. This would be the last straw. If he didn't take it, the game would be over. Elijah knelt in front of me and shook his head.

"Talk honestly and I will let you go. You have my word on that," he told me and I knew I could believe him. Can I just tell him everything? Maybe he could find a way for me to return to my family. Can I trust him? What I had learned ever since I was human was, you shouldn't give your trust just like that.

"Please, how can you not know me?" I asked tiredly and Elijah's gaze grew hardened. A scream escaped my lips as he stabbed my thigh with a wooden stake. I breathed heavily when he pulled it out, and saw how angered he was.

"It should never come to this, love. You brought it to yourself," he hissed as he ripped off my daylight necklace. I whimpered, knowing what was to come.

'No, please don't,' I prayed. I had never felt the pain of the sun hitting my skin, and I never wanted to feel that.

"No, please! Elijah!" I whimpered, trying to free my hands from the bound. Elijah ignored my pleas and as soon as he pulled the curtain to the side allowing the sunlight to enter the room, I screamed. I thought I had no energy to breathe, yet I screamed. The pain was unbearable. You instantly screamed and tried to escape. The orange light sizzled my skin, burning them from the core of my soul. It wasn't the pain of being burned by vervain, it was nothing like that. It was like hell itself. How much longer until my body burst into flames?

He closed the curtain suddenly and I breathed in relief, as my skin started to heal. I breathed heavily and met his dark brown eyes. "Please, don't," I begged and his jaw clenched.

"I asked you a question," he said slowly and his voice was full of authority, making me squirmed in anxiety and fear. He pushed the curtains aside and I tried to endure the pain but to no avail. I screamed when I couldn't hold it anymore and tried to cover my face with my hair.

"Stop! Please!" I begged as I could feel the flame burning my inside. It was getting too hot, and I was sure I would be on fire. My vision was blurry by painful tears, and I could hear the faint sound of sizzling.

"I'll talk! I'll talk! I promise you!" I yelled, knowing that would be the words he wanted to hear. Tears were falling fast down my cheeks as the burning continued. "Make it stop! I beg you!" I screamed when my hand was on fire. I let out an agonizingly terrifying scream that even made me scared. Elijah released the curtain to block the sunlight as he couldn't stand the torturous screams coming from the exact replica of Cassandra anymore.

"No more lies," he said, placing his large hand on top of mine, putting off the fire instantly. I met his dark eyes and nodded meekly, as my burned skin healed

* * *

"_How can you do this to me, Elena?" I asked, angry tears were welling in my eyes._

"_What did I do?" Elena asked, frowning as she tried to think of what she had done._

"_Of all people, how can you? To your own twin?" I asked and Elena looked like she was about to cry._

"_Oh my God, Vanessa. What did I do?" Elena asked._

"_What? You're not confessing? You don't know what you did?" I asked, my voice was dripping with sarcasm. _

"_I-I seriously can't think of anything," Elena said frustrated. _

"_Of course, you're the innocent twin," I spat and stormed off to the kitchen. _

"_Vanessa, don't do this to me," Elena pleaded and I ignored her as I opened the cabinet, retrieving a mug._

"_Nessie!" Elena shouted and I shot her a glare._

"_How many times did I tell you not to call me that? Do you think it's funny?" I asked venomously and Elena's eyes narrowed._

"_What's wrong with you? Is it the time of the month? Why are you being so sensitive?" Elena asked and I scoffed._

"_I've always hated that nickname, Elena. And were you trying to piss me off by calling me that?" I asked her, bumping her shoulder as I made my way to the fridge._

"_I'm sorry, alright? But I seriously don't know what I did to you," Elena sighed and I rolled my eyes._

"_You are so gullible," I muttered under my breath._

"_What?" Elena asked and I turned around, spraying the whipped cream all over her face. Laughing out loud as she shrieked, I ran out of the kitchen, shouting happy April Fools._

* * *

I had always been a good liar. I wouldn't call it a gift, but it was something I could do effortlessly. However, right now, I didn't even dare to lie. Crossing Elijah again would mean signing my death sentence. A slow and painful death.

"The question that I had been asking all day long," Elijah began. "Who are you?"

"Vanessa. Vanessa Gilbert," I told and he nodded.

"Well, Vanessa. Why did you pretend to be Cassandra?" He asked calmly.

"Katerina," I answered and I saw Elijah's face changed. "She wanted me to…to persuade you to let her have her freedom," I explained further.

"And why are you doing this?" He asked again and I tried to suppress a sigh. I wanted this to be over or perhaps, he could bring me some snacks.

"I owe her," I simply replied and Elijah didn't seem to like the short answer. "It's a long story," I told and he cocked his head to the side.

"I have all days," he said and I gritted my teeth. I was losing too much energy and I felt weaker than ever. Was I desiccating?

"I'm not in the state for storytelling," I snapped and saw Elijah's eyes twitched. "Can I…can we continue this later?" I asked him meekly, knowing I was in no position to ask such favour.

"And why do you think I should comply? You lied right in my face, Vanessa. Countless of times," he said calmly and I didn't dare to meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry," I said as sincerely as I could and he tilted his head to the side.

"We shall continue this later, Vanessa. I will wait for the vervain to pass from your system," he told and made a move to leave.

"Wait!" I blurted out and he turned around.

"Are you not going to…" I trailed off and tugged on the rope that bound my wrists. He had this amused look on his face as he walked towards me.

"That would teach you some manners, no?" he asked with a light smirk and I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. "Now, be a good girl and wait for my return," he told and reached out for something behind me. I hissed when I felt something burned my cheek, and glared at Elijah who had brushed my cheek with the herb.

"If another lie comes out from your pretty mouth, I would either rip off your tongue or drown you with vervain," he whispered threateningly at my ears, before leaving me alone in the room. I sighed as I was left alone, feeling much safer that Elijah was no longer in the same room as me. Katherine said Elijah was the noble one, the one who had high moral and…kind. But maybe he didn't take liars well. Or maybe he was just pissed off as I pretended to be his lover.

* * *

The first thing that I realised was my wrists were no longer tied. I tried to move my limbs but they were too heavy and I was weak. The night had fallen and after resting for a while, I gathered my strength to get up. I tucked the strands of my golden locks behind my ear to hear better, but it was just so quiet. Did Katherine actually come and save me? No, that would be ridiculous. I turned the doorknob and prayed that the door won't creak as I opened it. Holding my breaths, I walked out from the room and headed for the stairs. There, the mahogany double doors. There was a steady heartbeat from downstairs, and I was sure if I were to escape, he or she wouldn't even see me. So I did.

I gasped and fell to my knees when the inside of my head exploded, tears were brimming in my eyes at the intense pain. The pain eventually subsided, and I sighed, letting myself to lie on my stomach. The cold floor soothed my head and I rolled over when the pain had gone entirely.

"I didn't recall myself permitting you to leave," Elijah told me and I shut my eyes in annoyance. This vampire was getting under my skin. When I opened them again, his dark eyes bored into mine.

"Was it wrong to escape?" I asked in a small voice and his lips tugged into a smirk. Or was it a smile? He held out his hand for me and I reluctantly took it. He pulled me back on my feet easily and gestured me to follow him. We walked into the kitchen and I smelled the sweet and alluring scent instantly. My fangs lowered and the dark veins started protruding under my now red eyes. In Elijah's hand was a blood bag, with his other hand inside his pocket. He was watching me with those dark eyes of his, something told me this was the reaction he wanted.

"What do you know about the sun and the moon curse?" he asked and I glanced at him before my gaze averted to the blood bag again.

"That you want to break the curse," I said hastily and he clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"That's not quite an answer, Vanessa," he said and I looked at him when he said my name.

"You need a witch, a werewolf, a vampire, a Petrova doppelganger, and the moonstone," I told and he tilted his head to the side. "Katherine's going to help you break the curse, she will have everything you need," I told and Elijah's eyes darted around the room as he thought of what I said.

"What do you know about Niklaus?" he asked, walking over to the table and taking a seat. I grew agitated with the blood being so close to me. "What do you know about Niklaus?" Elijah repeated the question patiently.

"He wanted to break the curse, and wanted to use Katherine…but she got away," I answered.

"What else do you know about Niklaus?" he asked and I tried to think about what Katherine had filled me in. Elijah stood up to leave but I couldn't find anything. I had to, or he'll leave with the blood.

"I don't know! He is after Katherine because she escaped. That's it!" I said quickly and he thought over my answer.

"You might not be lying, Vanessa but you're not telling me all the truth either," Elijah said calmly as he sauntered towards me.

"I don't know! Katherine doesn't like talking about Klaus," I said and he hummed. Without saying anything he punched the tube in the blood bag, sending the sweet scent of the blood in the air. I had quickly gone over to Elijah to snatch the blood bag but being a thousand years older than me, he had pinned me against the wall.

"What do you know about Niklaus?" he repeated, his pupils dilating.

"I knew that he killed Cassandra. And that's why you're no longer on his side," I said but wasn't affected by his compulsion. He didn't say anything and handed me the blood bag which I ripped opened. I moaned as I indulged on the sweet and thick red liquid. It soothed my headache and the burn in my throat and I felt much stronger. Wiping my lips, I looked around and saw that Elijah was no longer in the kitchen.

"Guess I'm a prisoner now," I muttered and headed upstairs, knowing it was useless for me to try another escape.

* * *

The door was knocked and opened, revealing a guy around my age and I looked at him, wondering who he was and what was he doing here.

"The dinner is ready," he told and I blinked my eyes in confusion.

"Am I allowed to join you?" I asked and he smiled.

"You must be hungry, I'm Luka," he said.

"I'm not hungry, I'm Vanessa," I joked and it took him a while to understand and laugh. "What are you doing here? I mean…"

"I'm a warlock," he said rather proudly. "And my father and I work for Elijah," he said although there were more to it.

"I see," I said as we headed downstairs.

"Elijah's not joining us?" I asked carefully and he shook his head.

"No, he's not. He has business to attend to," Luka told me and I nodded. Well, it had been a while since I had food. We ate in silence as it was more comfortable than talking, until Luka broke the silence.

"What did you do that you pissed off Elijah?" he asked and I smirked.

"Pretending to be his ex-lover," I shrugged and his jaw dropped.

"That's very foolish of you," he commented and I laughed.

"I like to play with fire, it adds some flavour in your life," I told. "May I ask something?" I asked and he waved his fork.

"Ask away," Luka said.

"Why are you working for Elijah? Witches…and warlocks usually don't like to be in the middle of vampire business," I said and he sighed, playing with the spaghetti.

"Klaus took my sister for the ritual. And my father and I found Elijah. We'd worked with him ever since," he told and I nodded. "I hope if you ever meet Klaus, you won't get on his bad side too," Luka joked and I laughed.

"Well," I shrugged and met Luka's dark brown eyes. I could feel the excitement in my body. My eyes were glinting with that what Katherine called a Petrova fire. "That would be fun," I said, smirking.


	5. Masquerade

**I'm seriously sorry for not updating! I hope you like it, and if you do, please give me some review. It really helps.**

**Disclaimer: I only own Vanessa, Cassandra and the Original doppelganger, Tatia's twin, Ada.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Masquerade

I wouldn't call myself a prisoner, as a prisoner would not get this luxury. I wrapped myself in a blue silk bathrobe, after having a relaxing bath with expensive rose scented bath oil. My used to be empty closet had been filled with clothes, colourful tank tops, black leather pants and accessories. This was suspicious. At first, I thought the clothes had been laced with vervain but I was wrong. It was fine.

I chose to sport baby blue tank top with leather jacket, pants and also boots. Drying my hair with the towel, I looked outside of the window longingly. I missed the sun very much and Elijah was keeping me as a prisoner by not giving my daylight necklace back. What a jerk. I was still wondering what he was going to do to me. It seemed like he wanted me to stay with him for a little while.

"Hey," Luka said, appearing at the doorway.

"Don't you knock anymore?" I asked and he grinned.

"Elijah wants to see you," he told and I couldn't help but be surprised.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"Outside," he told.

"What? I don't have my necklace with me," I told him and he shrugged.

"He's waiting, and you don't want to make him wait any longer," he said and I eyed him suspiciously.

"Just give me the necklace already," I snapped and he pretended to be clueless.

"What are you talking-hey!" he said in protest when I sneaked up behind him and snatched the necklace in his hand.

"You should work on your acting," I said and he rolled his eyes. "Well, see you later. Don't want to keep an Original waiting," I told as I clasped the daylight necklace around my neck. I cautiously held out my hand for the sunrays to touch me and sighed in relief when I didn't feel the fire on my skin. I saw Elijah by the pond, his hands were in pockets as usual.

"Thank you," I said as I reached him. He turned to look at me and I sighed. "What I did was terrible and I want to apologise," I said and the corner of his lips twitched.

"You're making the mistake that everyone had made, Vanessa. Trusting Katerina would get you into trouble like this. May I know why are you helping her?" He asked and I stayed quiet. Should I just tell him? With him as an Original, he might be able to help me. But then again, he shouldn't be trusted. But that didn't mean I couldn't use him.

"Klaus wants a doppelganger to break his curse, isn't he? And Katherine's going to hand over my sister if I failed," I told him, my answer differed from what I had told him last night.

"You told me you owe her?" Elijah said and I nodded without hesitation.

"That was part of the reasons too. Katherine turned me into a vampire when I was supposed to be dead," I explained.

"Being a vampire is a curse," Elijah stated cynically and my lips twitched into a smile.

"It's also a gift," I countered and he nodded after considering my reply.

"Niklaus, he should never know of your sister's existence," Elijah stated, changing the topic and I glanced at him. "He also should not be allowed to break the curse." So Elijah was no longer with Klaus, a piece of important information that Katherine failed to gather.

"May I ask you something?" I asked him politely and he nodded.

"Is it true about what I said? You're no longer with Klaus because he killed Cassandra," I said, knowing it was an important information yet risky to ask.

"That's part of the reasons," he told me after a while. "He daggered my siblings when he disagreed with them, and throw them across the ocean so I wouldn't find them," he said, a hint of hatred could be noticed in his words. I somehow, didn't believe his words.

"What kind of person would throw his siblings in the ocean?" I asked in disbelief. Elijah looked at me, trying to read me. "I-I mean, family is important, isn't it?" I cowered away from his gaze.

"Yes, family above all, always and forever. That was our belief. I've been with Niklaus since forever, helping him to break the curse that was placed upon him. He however, doesn't take betrayal well. He doesn't like it when we disagree with him either," Elijah told and I nodded, trying to comprehend the new information.

"He's a complicated man," I commented and Elijah chuckled to my surprise. No one said anything for a moment, and I glanced at him, trying to see if he was in a good mood. "How long will I stay here?" I asked and he gave me a small smile.

"Don't you like it here?" he asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Why don't we make a deal?" I asked and he smiled, amused. I hated it when he smiled like that…it was like I was an entertainment.

"Enlighten me, Vanessa," he said and I thought of my words carefully.

"You'll keep my sister safe that no harm would come to her, and I'll help you with your plan on Klaus," I said and he chuckled.

"What makes you think I need your help?" he asked and I laughed as something clicked in my mind.

"If you don't need my help, why is Klaus still out there trying to break the curse?" I asked daringly and he smiled.

"You're so much like her," he said softly, looking deeply into my eyes. I hated it.

"You must have loved her so much. But I don't get it. Why a Petrova? If Cassandra and Katherine are doppelgangers, there must the originals right? The curse must have been-wait," I stopped and let my mind think while Elijah looked intently at me. "No," I shook my head. "I still don't understand why Petrova's blood is needed in a curse."

"A thousand years ago, there were two sisters; Tatia and Ada. Tatia's blood was used on creating the curse. In order for the curse to be broken, the doppelgangers exist. We found Katerina and Cassandra by luck, and we took the opportunity to break the curse," Elijah explained.

"But you fell in love with her," I said and he nodded.

"We can sacrifice one of them, so I chose Cassandra to live, by turning her into vampire so that Niklaus wouldn't be able to use her. She…she found out about the ritual and went against Niklaus herself, saving Katerina," Elijah told.

"But that wasn't the reason why he killed her," I stated.

"When Niklaus started to dagger my siblings one by one, I knew I might be next next and he has to be stopped. My betrayal has led Cassandra to be killed," he said, full with regrets. He was no longer a powerful Original when Cassandra was involved. He might be the most vulnerable vampire when Cassandra was dancing in the game.

"I'm sorry," I said.

* * *

_**New York – 1907**_

_Elijah sat in front of the piano longingly. At this kind of time, he felt sad and alone. He missed his family being together, and he missed Cassandra. He met her nine years ago and she was fine. They couldn't be together, no matter how much they love each other. _

_The sound of the door being knocked interrupted him and he walked to the door. Elijah didn't know what to feel, it was as if God had answered his loneliness. Cassandra smiled at him lovingly, her golden locks were pulled into a bun and she was wearing a light blue gown. _

"_Elijah," she said and he pulled her into a deep kiss. He missed her voice, he missed her lips against his, and he missed her touch very much. "I miss you so much," she said, caressing his face with her delicate hand. _

"_I miss you more, my love. Come in," he said and she shook her head. _

"_I need to tell you something," she said urgently and he suddenly had a bad feeling about this. He wanted to take her in his arms and brought her into the house where no vampires could enter. Yet, he followed her outside._

"_What is it that you need to tell me, love?" Elijah asked and she started to cry. _

"_I love you so much, Elijah," she said through her tears and he grew wary and worried. _

"_Are you alright?" he asked and she shook her head, so he pulled her into his arms. He kissed her temple and rubbed a hand on her back, trying to calm her but she only cried harder. "I love you so much, please know that," she told him urgently, desperately._

"_I love you too, Cassandra. I wish we could be together," he said, his dark eyes bore into her glistening blue eyes. He really loved her eyes. No, he loved everything about her. She pulled him into a long, desperate kiss. Her hand was behind his neck and another was holding his arm tightly. He placed his hand behind her small back and another was on her neck. She shut her eyes, tears wouldn't stop falling from her beautiful blue eyes. His heart pained, seeing her like this._

"_What's going on, Cass?" he asked._

"_Niklaus," she breathed and he grew panicked. "I'm sorry, Elijah. He found me," she whispered, her eyes widened in fear._

"_What did he do to you?" Elijah asked hurriedly, grabbing her arms tightly. _

"_I love you, Elijah. Always and forever," she murmured, telling him that for the very last time before removing her bracelet. The bracelet that Elijah had given her on the night he killed her. Elijah could've shielded her away from the sun but he was too stunned to do anything. Her screaming of pain from being burned by the sun tore his heart into pieces. It was a quick death as the sun was shining brightly. But it felt agonizingly long as he could still hear her screams. _

"_No," he muttered, falling to his knees._

* * *

"I'm sorry, Elijah. Truly. Katherine didn't know and I didn't know. If I know how much pain I'd brought you…I'd never," I said, feeling guilty and he looked up at the sky.

"When I saw you, I thought it was a miracle. As it's impossible for doppelgangers to exist because the line ended with Katerina," he said and sighed.

"Klaus is going to come to Mystic Falls once he heard of Elena. So," I looked at him. "What about the deal?" I asked, changing the topic.

"Your sister will come to no harm as long as you help me kill Niklaus," he said and I nodded.

"Katherine's in Mystic Falls. That's where my sister is," I said and his jaw set as he thought of a plan carefully.

"What is she doing to in Mystic Falls?" Elijah asked and I smiled, debating on to tell him or not. "Vanessa," he growled softly making me chuckled.

"She's retrieving the moonstone," I told.

"Alright, you are to go to Mystic Falls and tell her I had forgiven her. However, she has to hand over the moonstone," Elijah said and I shrugged.

"That's simple," I told. "But…not really. Everyone in Mystic Falls thinks I'm dead," I said, feeling bitter. "I can't just show up there," I told.

"Are you not a vampire, Vanessa?" he asked before walking away. I rolled my eyes but followed behind him.

* * *

**A few weeks later**

Katherine still didn't know that I was back. And with this Masquerade party, it was easy for her to not recognize me. I had to admit, I really, really, really missed going to party like this. It was really good to be back. I had fun searching for dresses and dressing up for this night. The short and strapless blue dress was tight and decorated with elegant lines of beads and I matched it with black heels. The blue mask covered half of my face so it wasn't like someone was going to recognize me but oh well. I grabbed the glass of champagne as I move to the corner, searching for familiar faces.

"Vanessa?" What in the world?

I recognized the voice as Tyler's, how can he even recognize me. Besides, the voice was coming from behind me. Surely there were other blondies in Mystic Falls.

"Tyler, you must be drunk!" One of the girls said, giggling.

"Yeah, I guess," Tyler mumbled. He must be drunk.

"Let's go, Aimee must be waiting for us," she said and I heard she dragged him away. Sighing, I sipped on my champagne to relax my nerves. I had to spot Katherine before the older vamp spots me first. I had guessed that Katherine would be wearing black or something dark, and I continued my search for the woman with curly hair.

* * *

I was blending in with the crowd, watching a man performing whatever it was that involved a rope and a fire, when I heard a conversation behind me.

"Do you see her?" I recognized the voice. That…must be Damon.

"Nope. You're sure you can do this?" Stefan asked his brother. Do what?

"Who are you talking to?" Damon asked, bewildered.

"Oh, I had the chance to kill her and I hesitated," Stefan said and that caught my attention. Kill who?

"Well that is the fork in the road between you and me my friend. I don't hesitate," Damon said snidely.

"You spent 145 years loving her, it could happen," Stefan said and I knew it instantly. Katherine.

"I won't hesitate," Damon said firmly.

"Okay," Stefan said and I heard him coming down. So what should I do? Although Katherine had become a sister to me, she being gone would be the best for each of us…I guess.

Stefan stopped at his tracks and turned to his right. He narrowed his eyes at the familiar blonde. She was wearing a blue mask so it was hard to tell if she was who he thought he was. Could it be? Katherine was here, so why wouldn't Cassidy? However, before he could walk up to her, the blonde grabbed a glass and walked away.

* * *

That was pretty close. I decided to just stay away for the meantime and enjoyed the night. Or I could get myself some snack. Hmm…

"Dance with me?" My head snapped up at Katherine's voice. I tried to find and focus on her and blocked the noise. Where was she? Even as a vampire, it was hard to distinguish her among the crowd. Not to mention that everyone was wearing a mask. After a while of scanning, I heard her again, this time with Stefan.

"I don't want anyone to get hurt tonight," Stefan said.

"Okay," she agreed easily. "Then give me the moonstone and nobody will," she said. No wonder I couldn't find her. She was posing as Elena.

"Well, you see…I don't have the moonstone on me. So you and I will have to go get it together," Stefan told. I shook my head, Katherine could easily see their plan on killing her.

"Hmm, I have a better plan. You go fetch it and I will try not to kill anyone in the meantime," Katherine bargained.

"My way, or you don't get it."

"Hey Stefan, I can't find Matt. Oh my god Elena! You look so pretty. I love that dress. You look gorge!" Ah, that was Aimee. I unfortunately saw her life ending pretty soon.

"Thank you, I love your necklace," Katherine said kindly. I could've totally mistaken her as Elena. Hmph, I guess here she was fooling everyone to be my sister. "Oh, it's twisted. Here, let me, here we go," she said before I heard a gasp from Aimee.

"Paralyzed from waist down, and dead," Katherine said. She pushed Aimee's body to Stefan and said, "The moonstone, Stefan. Tick tock."

"Wow, that was too much, Kathy," I said. "How desperate are you?" I muttered.

* * *

Jeremy received a text from Damon, telling him it was his turn. He got up, searching for Katherine when he saw a girl who looked like Vanessa. He narrowed his eyes but she was gone among the crowd and he bit back a sigh. He got a work to do.

"Oh my, that was close," I muttered, seeing Jeremy turned to a different direction. "Please don't tell me that he too, is involved in this 'Let's kill Katherine' plan," I muttered as I followed him. I watched my distance this time and made sure I could eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Elena," Jeremy called. "Hey sorry, could I…could I talk to my sister?" he asked to a woman in front of Katherine.

"What is it Jeremy?" Katherine asked with her Elena-ish tone.

"I have a message from Stefan," Jeremy said and Katherine looked surprise. "He and Damon want you to meet them at the edge of the lake by the woods. They brought the moonstone," he told.

"And why are you their little messenger?" Katherine asked.

"Because they know I'm not afraid of you," Jeremy said and I mentally face-palmed myself. That was very brave and stupid, Jer.

"Hmm, you Gilbert men…so courageous. How's John by the way? Were they able to sew his fingers back on?" She said playing with his tie and I stood there nervously. 'Please don't harm him or I'll kill you myself,' I thought bitterly. Thank God Katherine left him alone, and Jeremy was texting when someone grabbed him. I was about to go to him when I realized it was Elena. Elena, Jeremy and Bonnie were talking when Elena suddenly gasped in pain. I couldn't risk going any nearer as they would have seen me.

"What's going on?" I heard Jeremy asked in panic as another scream erupted from Elena.

"Jeremy, it's Katherine. She's linked to Katherine. Get them to stop! Now!" Bonnie ordered and Jeremy dashed to wherever Stefan and Damon were. Katherine, always with the backup plan. The woman with Katherine…she must be the witch. I searched for the witch, trying to find her. I had started to hate the masquerade theme. It wasn't like I remembered her scent or her voice. This was getting frustrating…

"Oh, there she is," I spotted her when I was about to give up. She seemed to feel my presence as I walked toward her. "Whatever spells you put on Elena, undo it."

She stopped at her tracks and turned around. "You're Vanessa. I thought you side with Katherine," she stated with a wicked smile.

"Undo it before I rip your heart off your chest," I threatened. She was tall, but that didn't really faze me since I've got the speed and–I gasped in pain as my head, it felt like exploding. I really, really, really hate this witch trick. The pain was gone suddenly when the witch left in hurry.

I saw Bonnie walked past me, chasing after the witch and I sighed in relief. "Save the day, Bonnie," I told, walking out of the mansion.


	6. Bad Girl

**I'm so freaking sorry for the delay! And I really hope you like this chapter! I love you guys, thank you for waiting! As always, I only own my characters; Cassandra/Cassidy, Ada and of course our lovely Vanessa.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Bad Girl

The plan was actually to get Katherine out of the picture temporarily, announce to Mystic Falls that I was back, get the moonstone, kill Klaus and have a happy life with my family. But then Elena was kidnapped. By who? None of them know. Damon and Stefan were on their way to Elena after Bonnie performed a locater spell. I however, will always have a backup plan.

"Yes?" Elijah asked over the phone.

"Elena's kidnapped. I don't know who and why but if she doesn't return in one piece, the deal is off, Elijah," I told him.

"I'm taking care of it," he replied and I gaped.

"What?" I asked bewildered. "Elijah, if this got anything to do with you-"

"I'll make sure she's fine. Do not worry, Vanessa," he said and just by the way he said my name, had calmed me down. Was he compelling me over the phone? Was that even possible?

"Thank you," I said quietly. It was when I heard Elena was kidnapped that I noticed how messed up her life was. And how easily I could lose her like I lost Dad and Mum.

"I'm already here. I'll make sure she's fine," he said again comfortingly. The line went dead and I sighed. I looked at the Gilbert house longingly.

"I guess I'll show up another day," I muttered, knowing they actually had more than enough on their plates.

* * *

I spent my time at the Grill, compelling everyone to not ask me questions and that Vanessa Gilbert was still alive, while waiting for news about Elena. In the middle of my drinking time, I had realized that I was still under age. Gosh, I was so used to drink when I was with Katherine. Things will not go so great now, wasn't it?

"Vanessa?" Another voice asked and I groaned in frustration.

"Oh, Zoe!" I exclaimed, faking surprise.

"I'm so glad that you're okay! What happened? How did you?" she asked and I smiled, looking into her eyes.

"Shut up and leave me alone. You will not question me about anything," I compelled and she nodded in daze. "Wait!" I called and she turned around.

"Yes?" she asked.

"On second thought, follow me," I said, sliding off the stool and headed to the ladies. Zoe followed behind me and I made sure no one followed us. "You're not going to scream, and you'll forget this afterwards. This will hurt just a little," I said, compelling her before sinking my fangs into her neck. I didn't take much, or at least I thought I didn't take much. I snatched some napkins and wiped my mouth, before heading back to the Grill.

"No calls at all," I muttered, taking a look at my phone.

"Vanessa?" I heard a woman said and turned around quickly.

"Aunt Jenna!" I gasped, panicking for a moment that I was caught. I didn't imagine that we would meet like this.

"Oh my God, how can this be?" she shook her head, tearfully. She had a hand over her mouth and now she was crying.

"I–I'm here, Aunt Jenna. I'm here," I said, pulling her into a hug. Oh God, I missed her so much. Jenna was the coolest aunt I'd ever had and she and I were very close. A man cleared his throat behind us and Jenna wiped her tears.

"Vanessa, this is Alaric. Alaric, this is Vanessa, my niece," she said, sniffing.

"Hello," I smiled, shaking his hand.

"Elena's sister?" he asked warily and I nodded. I knew he didn't trust me, as he was really tensed. I wonder why.

"Have you eaten? Come, oh my, I still can't believe this," Aunt Jenna babbled as we made our way to the table.

"Calm down," I said, laughing lightly. "I survived the car accident. It was a miracle but I did. Someone took me to the hospital and I was in coma. I woke up two weeks ago," I said.

"But we even made search parties," Jenna said, slightly confused.

"I'm here. That's what matters," I said, holding her hand. "I haven't met Jeremy, I thought it would make a good surprise," I said, smiling.

"He would be surprised, and happy. Very happy," she said and I smiled. Finally, back to where I belong. But…not quite yet.

* * *

"Elijah, please answer my calls. What happened? I…I'm really worried here. Call me soon," I said, leaving a voice message. I kept my phone away and approached Salvatore Boarding House carefully. I could enter the house which meant they were very _welcoming _to other vampires.

"Who's there?" A man called out and I froze. How can he know that it was me?

"I'm not here to hurt you," a foreign woman's voice said. Oh, he was talking to someone else. Sighing in relief, I approached them carefully.

"Why are you here?" He asked.

"Lexi once told me that you're one of the good ones," the woman said. I noticed she had a British accent and listened to their conversation quietly.

"You knew Lexi?" Stefan asked. I don't.

"Trevor was my best friend. For five hundred years I have lived with one person and he's gone and I don't want to run anymore because I don't have anywhere else to run to," the woman said. Trevor? So this must be Rose. Then the puzzles solved, they must be the one who kidnapped Elena to give her to Elijah.

"Well, I'm sorry but I can't help you," Stefan said.

"I don't need your help but I think you need mine," Rose said. Oh, time for me to make the grand entrance. Katherine had always told me that an entrance will always play a big part in making your plans succeed.

"No he doesn't," I said, appearing behind Stefan.

"Cassidy?" Stefan asked and I grinned.

"Hello Stefan. It's been a long time," I said before turning to Rose who was staring at me. She didn't know that Cassandra was dead, right? "Rose, I don't believe we've officially met," I said silkily.

"Cassandra," she acknowledged, having heard of me.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked.

"Helping you," I shrugged. "I called Elijah, telling him that Elena was kidnapped. He doesn't want her dead. He doesn't want Klaus to find her either," I told.

"Elijah's dead," Rose said and I laughed at her statement.

"It's true, I killed him," Damon said, appearing out of nowhere. "Well, hello there, Cass," he said and I smirked.

"Damon, miss me?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"Nope," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Did you behead him or something? If so, I'm impress," I said to Damon.

"Nah, just a stake through his heart-"

"-which doesn't kill him," I cut him off. "You can't kill an Original. And look, he's coming for you," I said and he rolled his eyes but I could see his fear if I was right.

"The Originals, they'll come for her," Rose said.

"There are more?" Damon asked sceptically.

"The Originals are dead. Klaus killed them and Elijah happens to be lucky," I countered. "See, you're not much of a help," I said and Rose growled softly.

"Wait, he killed his own siblings?" Stefan asked frowning and I shrugged.

"That clearly shows how dangerous he is," I said with a smirk.

* * *

**The next morning**

Damon went to get the door and greeted Elena rather solemnly.

"Is Stefan here? He called. He said it was important," Elena said coldly.

"Right this way," he said.

"Hey," Stefan smiled.

"What is this about?" Elena asked, feeling the dreadful atmosphere. Stefan stepped aside and Elena frowned at the sight of Rose.

"You," she said and Rose waved and smiled awkwardly.

"Elena, please don't freak out," Stefan said and Elena frowned. What else?

"Hello Elena," that voice just threw Elena completely off guard.

"Vanessa?" she asked, surprised, disbelieved and confused.

"Nope, wrong doppelganger. It's Cassidy Pierce," I said, meeting her eyes. Oh my, how do you even lie straight to your twin's face? It wasn't even part of the plan. I just couldn't bring myself to tell her that I was actually Vanessa. "Or Cassandra Petrova. Katherine's twin sister," I said smoothly.

"Oh my God, how do you look exactly like her?" she gaped, shaking her head. Tears were already brimming in her eyes, threatening to fall.

"The same reason why you look exactly like Katherine," I replied nonchalantly. Seeing my sister in flesh was really good.

"I…I need to get out of here," Elena told and Stefan brought her out of the room.

"That wasn't so bad," I commented. "I thought she was going to faint or something," I said dryly. As soon as I said that, Damon pinned me against the wall, baring me his vampire face.

"Why are you here?" he growled. Here was one thing that I hoped I was actually Cassandra. Damon was stronger than me, much stronger than me. But he was also a man. I kicked him in his groin and pinned him against the wall.

"I'm here to help, think of this as a refund after what Katherine did to all of you," I snarled and released him.

"And you know that I don't trust you one bit," he said, again pinning me but this time on the floor. "Are you here to let Katherine out of the tomb?" he interrogated me and I rolled my eyes.

"You don't trust anyone, Damon. But you need me. If you want to keep Elena's alive," I said and watched as his eyes flickered, showing me for a split second that he would do anything to make sure that Elena's safe. He was in love with her.

"Damon!" Elena shouted, the sight of Damon choking a girl that looked exactly like her twin sister disturbed her. Stefan pushed Damon off me and offered his hand which I gladly took. At least one Salvatore had a rational mind.

"Damon's right, we can't trust you. Why are you here?" Stefan asked.

"Here's the thing. Klaus is coming after Elena to sacrifice her in order to break the curse, just like how he was planning to do with Katherine. We had been running from him for centuries, and you can never escape from Klaus," I explained.

"Who's Klaus?" Elena asked but when my blue eyes met her brown eyes, she averted them away from me.

"He's one of the Originals, he's a legend," Damon answered.

"From the first generation of vampires," Stefan said and I nodded.

"Like Elijah?" Elena asked.

"No. Elijah was the Easter bunny compared to Klaus. He's a foot soldier. Klaus is the real deal," Rose interrupted. Hearing her said that, making me wonder if I was actually really up for this. I mean, I hadn't seen Klaus and I didn't think I want to. Elijah was the Easter bunny? Rose got to be kidding with us.

"Klaus is known to be the oldest," Stefan added.

"Okay, so you're saying that the oldest vampire in the history of time is coming after me?" Elena asked, rephrasing everything.

"Yes," Rose replied at the same time Stefan said no.

"What they're saying is, I mean if what they're saying is true…" Damon said trying to comfort Elena and I rolled my eyes.

"Which it is," Rose and I snapped in sync and we shared a look.

"And you're not saying it so I don't kill you," Damon said to Rose and I smiled.

"Which I'm not," Rose argued.

"Then we're looking at a solid maybe," Damon said.

"Look, Elijah's dead, right? So no one else even knows that you exist," Stefan said, comforting Elena.

"I told you that he isn't dead!" I said with a sigh.

"That's not helping," Damon glared at me.

"He isn't?" Elena asked.

"Chill out, Lena. Elijah's on our side," I said.

"Okay, whatever. Look, I've never even met anyone who's laid eyes on him. I mean, we're talking centuries of truth mixed with fiction. We don't know if he's real. For all we know he could just be some sort of stupid bed time story," Stefan said.

"He's real, alright? God, how many times should I even repeat myself," I muttered in frustration.

"He's real and he doesn't give up. If he wants something, he gets it. If you're not afraid of Klaus, then you're an idiot," Rose said and I smirked.

"Thank you," I said gladly at her to which Damon rolled his eyes.

"Alright, we're shaking. You made your point," he said and Elena got to her feet.

"Where're you going?" Stefan asked.

"School. I'm late," Elena replied rather coldly. I guess she must be having a hard time.

"Let me grab my stuff, I'll go with you," Stefan said.

"It's okay, I know where it is," Elena replied coldly and left without another word.

"She's in denial," Damon said to us and received a glare from Stefan.

"Shut up, Damon," Stefan said before leaving.

* * *

"Go ahead, make yourself at home," Damon's voice was dripping with sarcasm as I poured his collection of Bourbon into a glass.

"Why thank you," I replied, just as sarcastic as he was. "This is nice. I can't even drink at the Grill because I'm underage," I said with an eye-roll before sipping the alcohol.

"You're in contact with Elijah, right?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, why?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"That will help us find Klaus," he said.

"Elijah himself is still looking for Klaus. It's not that easy," I said. "You know, it's pretty funny watching the history repeats itself. It's all 1864 all over again," I said with a smirk.

"Shut up," Damon sneered, walking away from me.

"I saw how you love her, Damon. Too much that it's fatal to you if she died," I said and he turned around, appearing in front of me in a flash.

"What's your plan?" he asked and I smirked.

"Kill Klaus?" I asked and his blue eyes narrowed sceptically.

"You said it yourself, you can't kill an Original," he countered.

"You can, if you know how to," I replied with a smirk, and walked to where Rose was.

"And you're not going to tell us unless we let Katherine out of the tomb?" Damon asked sarcastically and I rolled my eyes.

"Hey," I said, slightly frowning at the weeping five centuries year old vampire in front of me.

"Alright, Rosebud. I need some answers," I heard Damon said from behind me. "Oh please don't tell me you're crying 'cause your buddy Trevor lost his head."

"You've always been this sensitive?" Rose asked.

"I'm lost," I said.

"Stay lost," Damon retorted and I huffed. "How do I find Klaus?" Damon asked Rose.

"You don't find Klaus, he finds you," Rose replied and Damon and I shared a look.

"Come on. Somebody's got to know somebody who knows where he is, right?" Damon countered.

"Add another two hundred somebodies to that and you're still not even close," Rose shot back.

"Humour me. You got in touch with Elijah, how did you do it?" Damon asked.

"Through a very low somebody on the totem pole," Rose said and hesitated before giving up. "A guy name Slater in Richmond."

"Perfect, I'll drive," Damon said with a smirk.

"No. You forget not all of us can do sun," she said and I smirked.

"Then you drive. Come on," he said and I followed him.

* * *

"Back entrance. How convenient," Damon commented as we stepped down from the car.

"That's the point. We can't all have little daylight rings," Rose said, clearly envious to us for being able to walk under the sun.

"I can't lend this to you even if I want to," I said, playing with my necklace.

"Alright," Damon said, clearly being negative. "How do you know this Slater guy is here?" Damon asked.

"I called him. He's here. He's always here," Rose answered.

"Good," he said before pinning her against the wall. "Just one thing. If you're setting me up in any way, I will rip your heart out and shove it down your throat. It's something I'm very good at," Damon said smugly. Rose, who didn't like being threatened, flipped him over and pushed him against the car.

"I'm older than you and stronger. Don't get on my bad side," she hissed before releasing him. "You can trust me," she promised and led the way. I snickered, which earned me a death glare from Damon. Pissing him off would be so much fun.

We entered the cafeteria and I sent a confused look to Rose as she walked, without being harmed by the sun.

"Whoa! What about the sun?" Damon asked.

"Double paned and temped. UV rays can't penetrate. You see the appeal now?" she explained and I could notice some people in the café were vampires.

"That and the free Wi-Fi," someone added. He was a good looking young man/vampire and he beamed at Rose and the older vampire hugged him.

"Hey, how are you?" Rose asked.

"Good. I saw you come. What are you doing here?" Slater asked.

"Hmm it's a long story but I want you to meet-"

"Damon Salvatore. Turned 1864 in Mystic Falls by Katherine Pierce aka Katerina Petrova," he said and Damon narrowed his eyes at how the stranger knew about him. "And…oh my God," he gaped as he turned to me. "You're the doppelganger. I thought it was impossible," he said and I frowned, caught off guard.

"Excuse me?" I asked, frowning at his statement.

"Well, you got the wrong girl," Damon said with a smirk but Slater shook his head.

"No way, Cassandra was murdered by Klaus in 1907," he stated confidently and both Rose and Damon turned to me.

"You're telling me that she's not Cassidy Pierce?" Damon asked Slater, and I gave the blue eyed vampire an innocent smile.

"Ah well, guilty as charged," I said, raising my arms in surrender.

"You're Vanessa," he muttered in realization and I smiled sadly, confirming it.

"We'll talk about this some other time. We have business to be done," I said and he nodded.

"Here's what I don't get; Elijah moved around during the day, which means the Originals knew the secret of the day ring. Now why would Klaus want to lift the curse of the sun and the moon?" Damon questioned.

"To keep the werewolves from lifting it," Slater answered. "If a vampire breaks the sun curse then the werewolves are stuck with the curse of the moon forever and vice versa," he further explained.

"But werewolves are extinct," Rose said. I, who was facing Rose and the outside, noticed a familiar man in his expensive tailored suit, listening to our conversation.

"True. I've never seen one but rumour has it..." Slater said but Damon smirked. From afar, my eyes met Elijah's dark eyes. His lips curved into a smirk and I turned my attention back to the vampires in front of me.

"Not such a rumour," Damon said and I looked at him, eyes widened.

"There're werewolves in Mystic Falls?" I asked and he smirked.

"God, I've got to visit this place. It sounds awesome," Slater said.

"Awesome doesn't even begin to describe it. Can we stop the curse from being broken at all?" he asked and I frowned at Damon's question.

"What do you mean?" Slater asked.

"Well, if we make the moonstone useless, would it stop the curse from being broken?" Damon said.

"Well, yeah, probably but why would you want to do that?" Slater questioned and I looked at Elijah.

"Tell me how," Damon urged.

"You think I'm gonna help you figure out how to do something that will piss off an Original? And keeping them from walking in the sun?" Slater said, clearly not with us.

"You want to walk in the sun? I can make that happen if you help us," Damon bargained. Right after he said that, the windows shattered into pieces, letting the sunlight burned the vampires inside the café. Slater and Rose were screaming, and I got to my feet, searching for Elijah but he was gone. I covered Rose's burning face with my leather jacket and we quickly left the café. Damon carried Rose to the parking lot and placed her at the backseat.

"You're gonna be okay," he assured her.

"I know," she mumbled.

"Who's behind that?" Damon asked and I kept quiet.

"I don't know. Where's Slater?" Rose asked.

"He ran away," I replied and she looked at me.

"He's not behind this, he's a good guy, he wouldn't betray me," she said to me and Damon and I nodded.

"Who did it?" Damon asked.

"It's Klaus, don't you understand? You don't know this man, we're dead, we're all dead," she said and started sobbing as the fear ate her up. I glanced at Damon and shook my head. Rose managed to fall asleep during the journey back to Mystic Falls. Damon glanced at me and I looked at him.

"What?" I asked and sighed. "You wanna know why I lie?" I asked.

"Elena missed you so much, why won't you just come clean instead of lying in her face?" he asked, incredulously.

"I'm a vampire, Damon," I said, stressing out the word 'vampire'. "I can't bring myself to tell her that I'm a vampire," I told.

"You're scared that she'll be afraid of you?" he asked and I hummed thoughtfully.

"I'm afraid she'll think of me as a monster," I said after a while. "And I can't have that. I can't have Elena or Jeremy looking at me thinking I'll drain them dry if they upset me."

To my surprise, Damon chuckled. "You're like Stefan then," he said and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What did you mean?" I asked.

"Trying to be the good guy," he said mockingly and I laughed, hard. "What?" Damon asked, confused.

"I was never the good guy, Damon. Even back when I was still a human," I said and he turned to me, surprised. "I love this _life_ very much. But I love Elena and Jeremy too."

"So you _have_ to be the good guy then," he said and I smirked.

"In front of them, maybe?" I said and looked at him. "Want to grab lunch?" I asked and he met my eyes before smirking.

"I like you already," he said, making me laughed.


	7. The Old Us

**I'm so sorry for the delay! I hope the length makes up for that! As usual I only own Vanessa and her doppelgangers.**

* * *

Chapter 7: The Old Us

I groaned as the alarm went off. Vampires didn't need sleep, but that didn't make me any less grumpy. But when my eyes flew opened, I realized that I was in my room. It reminded me of my human life and I suddenly felt sad. I will never grow old, stuck and frozen. I will become mature as the year passed but my features will always remain sixteen.

I was not one to deal with emotions, which Katherine had said could make me sadistic and cruel. But right now, I was posing as the old, human Vanessa. And sometimes, I felt like acting. It was like I wasn't Vanessa.

"Who am I kidding?" I asked out loud, snapping myself out of my thoughts. I had changed, I was a vampire now. I stopped at my tracks on my way to the bathroom. On the shelf, there was a frame. A picture of me and Elena in our cheerleading outfits. So bright with smiles and…I smiled at the memory.

After taking a shower, I headed downstairs and bumped into Bonnie, the witch. She had been very shocked, to see that I was alive. But as soon as she hugged me, she let me go abruptly. She gave me an apologetic look. And I understood. She didn't want to be anywhere nears me…for the time being.

"Hey Bonnie," I said and she didn't say anything but nodded at me. Pushing the bitter thoughts away, I saw Elena not far behind the witch. She turned to me and frowned. I raised an eyebrow at her and her face went red in fury. Bonnie bade her goodbyes and I headed to the kitchen with Elena stomping behind me. Without even looking at her, I can feel her fuming, as she glared at me.

"You can't just live in the house, wearing Vanessa's clothes, and pretend to be her!" Elena hissed under her breath furiously. I smiled in my mind at her protectiveness over Vanessa although I didn't like the tone she was using on me. Putting up the Cassidy façade, I turned to her nonchalantly.

"Aunt Jenna will ask if I don't come home, Elena. That's why," I said, pouring the cereal into the bowl. In case you were wondering how Cassidy actually talked, it was a lot like Isobel. So calm yet nonchalant, and at the same time sophisticated.

"You can't pretend to be Vanessa and live here. I won't allow you to do it," Elena said through her gritted teeth. Looking at Elena, I saw what was alluring everyone into helping and saving her. She would always do the same for them.

"I really don't care, Elena. I can and I am," I said with a shrug. I saw her getting angrier and was glad to hear Jeremy's footsteps. "Jer, can you pass me the milk?" I asked when he entered the kitchen.

"Always the bossy one," he grumbled making me smirked. "What's wrong?" he asked Elena when he noticed her glaring at me. I thanked my little brother as he handed me the milk.

"She doesn't like to be grounded," I answered with a smirk and he chuckled, leaving Elena with her frustration and anger.

* * *

It was really good to be home, to be with Jeremy and Elena even though she still thought I was Cassandra. Jeremy still didn't know about me being a vampire, and to me, it was better if it stayed like that. I actually have no idea how to tell them that I was Vanessa _and_ a vampire.

We heard Damon's voice as we walked downstairs, with Jeremy's arm around my shoulder. It felt so much like home.

"Where's Bonnie?" Damon asked.

"I thought she was meeting you," Jeremy replied. Here was one thing I didn't like; Jeremy's involvement in this drama. He wanted to protect Elena and like all the Gilbert men, he was really brave but that made him foolish, willing to put someone's life before him when his life was just as precious.

"No, she's on moonstone duty and I'm on Elena patrol," Damon said.

"And who's on Tyler Lockwood and the full moon?" Jeremy asked and I frowned. Oh, right. Katherine's plan B was Tyler. Tyler was a close friend of mine although he was kind of a jerk as we grew up. Nevertheless, he was still a friend.

"Vampire Barbie asked me if she could handle it, and I said, why not? Figured if she screwed up, he'll bite her and then I'll be rid of two of my problems," Damon said nonchalantly and I shot him a glare.

"Damon," I said warningly and he gave me a charming smile. Caroline was no longer the old Care just as how I wasn't the old Vanessa. Caroline had become so much kinder although she still can't keep a secret. Then I remembered Caroline was also in Katherine's plan. But I guess not anymore, and I hope it stayed like that. Because Caroline would be the only one to understand my situation.

"Hold on a second. Tonight's the full moon?" Elena asked as the realization hit her. Damon's phone rang as soon as her question was asked.

"Yep, but you were too absorbed with all your suicidal tendencies to notice," he said, getting up from the couch and answering his phone. "What?"

"Sheriff Forbes has officially declared Mason Lockwood a missing person," I heard Alaric said. Mason was the werewolf working for Katherine and Damon had killed him, in the attempt of retrieving the moonstone.

"What? Why?" Damon asked.

"Some girl from Florida showed up on the Lockwood's door step looking for Mason," Alaric replied.

"What girl?" Damon asked.

"I don't know but she sure got everyone in a tizzy," Alaric said.

"That's not good. Where are you?" Damon asked.

"I'm at The Grill."

"I'm on my way," Damon said and hung up and turned to us.

"Change of plan. You babysit," he said to Jeremy and Jeremy dropped onto the couch, laying his head on Elena's laps. "And you follow me," he said to me and I raised an eyebrow.

"Sure," I said, walking towards the door.

"Hey you know, you should get out, enjoy the sun," Damon said before feigning a realization. "Oh wait, you can't," he mocked and I laughed as Elena threw a cushion at him. Jeremy laughed too, causing him to be pushed by Elena down to the floor.

"What do you know about Mason?" Damon asked as soon as we were out of the house.

"Katherine was going to use him as the sacrifice. And Caroline too," I answered before looking at him. "And is there any story between you and Caroline?" I asked and he made a face.

"Tell you some other time," he said and stopped at his track. "I can handle this Mason's mystery woman duty alone. But you…" he trailed off looking at me with his sceptical blue eyes.

"Yes me?" I asked sweetly.

"When will you tell Elena that you're her sister?" he asked rather seriously and un-Damonly.

"What does it have to do with you?" I snapped, avoiding the question.

"Elena came to me, asking everything about Cassidy, whether you can be trusted or not…Then she broke down," Damon told and I looked away.

"It's not easy…" I trailed off before something clicked in my mind. "Wait," I said and Damon raised his eyebrow as he noticed a small smirk forming on my lips.

"What?"

"Are you worried that if she finds out, and then she finds out that you know, she's gonna get mad at you?" I asked and laughed slightly as his face changed. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but Elena only thinks that vampires are good because of Stefan. I heard about you, Damon. You don't used to be like this," I said and he rolled his eyes, looking away from me.

"If you are that worried, don't worry. I got you covered," I said with a wink. "You can go deal with the she-wolf. I'm paying Katherine a visit," I said and he snorted.

"Send my love to that bitch," Damon said sarcastically and I laughed. How could it be possible to hate Katherine when he was in love with Elena? The face was identical and I doubt he could look at Katherine without thinking of Elena and vice versa.

* * *

I landed softly on the ground and looked at my surrounding warily. The entrance of the tomb was opened but all I could see was darkness. How deep was the tomb anyway?

"Kat! Kat kitty kitty cat!" I called out, leaning against the wall. I heard footsteps heading toward me before I came face to face with Elena's doppelganger, Katherine.

"Finally," she said with a scowl and I laughed at her. "What? No blood?" she asked when she realized I came empty-handed and I smiled innocently.

"I'm mad at you," I stated and she frowned, wondering why I would be made at her. "Oh, hello Stefan," I greeted Stefan who appeared behind Katherine.

"Damon told me that you're Elena's sister," he stated and I smiled.

"Vanessa Gilbert. Nice to meet you," I said.

"Yeah, she's the girl that you failed to save," Katherine retorted and I chuckled before stopping.

"Hey, I'm still mad at you," I said, wiping the smile on my face and she frowned.

"What? You didn't contact me for weeks, and I have no clue about what is happening," she said, turning the tables around.

"You're always good at observing and making plans, Kat. But you failed to know that Cassandra was murdered by Klaus," I paused, just to be more dramatic. "In front of Elijah," I said and she gasped. I could see through her façade, that she had grown more fearful of Klaus. She took a deep breath and looked at me.

"And what did Elijah say?" she asked, slightly concerned and I scoffed.

"He tortured me, but we made a deal," I said and regretted slightly that she wasn't involved in the deal. Well, not directly. "He'll help us kill Klaus, and you'll get your freedom."

"Why would he do that?" Stefan asked.

"Klaus killed his family and dropped them into the ocean, not to mention he compelled Cassandra to commit suicide in front of Elijah. I think you can see his reasons," I shrugged. I turned back to Katherine who was calculating everything in her mind, formulating a very careful plan.

"Klaus wants to break the curse, and Elijah wants to kill him," she muttered and I nodded, crossing my arms. She had to pick a side, and if she chose wrong, she would be dead.

"So sister, where do you stand?" I asked and her brown eyes met with my blue eyes, both showing the spark of Petrova fire.

* * *

Jenna and I were having some bonding time, as she filled me in with the funny stories of my late parents when the bell rang.

"Can you get the door?" Jenna asked and I hopped off from the counter. The person that rang the bell was totally not someone that I expected. _At all._

"Elijah," I said breathlessly, feeling my heart stopped. He gave me a calculating look, a look that I had always hated as it seemed like he was reading and seeing through me.

"Hello Vanessa. Are you well?" He asked formally and I looked at him warily. What could he want from me?

"Vanessa! Who's that?" Jenna asked, and I heard her footsteps coming toward us.

"No one!" I shouted and foolishly attempted in closing the door. Elijah stopped the door from closing effortlessly, his eyes bored into me. It held a dangerous glint and I found myself frozen.

"What games are you playing Vanessa?" he asked, his voice was low yet dangerous. And although I didn't know what he meant, I didn't know why I decided to play with fire. I smirked.

"Come in and find out yourself," I said playfully, tilting my head to the side. He took a deep breath, fixing me with his hard look.

"Vanessa, why didn't you invite him in?" Jenna half-scolded me as she reached us. _I did_ but Elijah needed a human's invitation.

"Well, I don't invite strangers into our house," I countered and she rolled her eyes at me but smiled instantly at Elijah.

"You must be Elijah," Jenna said, and my jaw dropped. How did she know him? The next two words were uttered by Jenna before I could stop her. "_Come in_." Well, no use in crying over a spilled milk.

"Who's he?" I whispered at Aunt Jenna as I watched warily at Elijah who stepped into our house; the only place that was safe for Elena, Jeremy and Jenna.

"Elijah's a historian and he's working on Mystic Falls," she told me and Elijah turned around, smiling at me. "Elijah, this is Vanessa, my niece," Aunt Jenna introduced and I gave him a smile.

"Nice meeting you, Elijah," I held out my hand at him.

"My pleasure," he said, kissing the back of my hand when Jenna turned her back on us. He pulled me to him with his strength effortlessly like I was a doll and I whimpered, much to my embarrassment.

"We need to talk," he stated in a low voice before releasing his iron grip on my hand. I released the breath that I had been holding once he was a couple of feet away from me. He followed Jenna to the kitchen and they talked about writing history of Mystic Falls, much to my amusement. Hmm, Elijah Smith, the historian. That was kinda funny.

"Well, Vanessa knew a lot more history than I do, she could show you around," Jenna said when I walked into the kitchen.

"Love to," I said and winked at Elijah playfully. He however, looked at me with his intense and dark eyes, freezing me on my tracks. It was as if he compelled me not to move, but only with his eyes. I was also holding my breath, yet again.

"May I have a look at the files that you keep?" he asked, finally releasing me from his eyes. My body relaxed and I looked at Jenna who nodded and headed to the closet. He returned his gaze to me and I gave him the innocent smile that would annoy anyone.

"Do not take me lightly, Vanessa," he warned and I frowned. What in the world…

"Vanessa, can you help me?" Jenna asked and I went up to her hurriedly. She handed me a box which I carried without an effort to the dining table.

"I do take you seriously, Elijah," I whispered to him as I placed the box on the table. "But you don't seem to share all the stories, which makes me wonder if I should trust you," I said snidely. He rose to his full height, intimidating me with his powerful aura that radiated from his presence and not to mention that he towered me as well.

"If it makes you feel better, Vanessa. You do not have my trust either," he said huskily before leaving me to deal with my frustration of his effects on me. You couldn't deny that Elijah was an attractive man, and me being a teenage girl couldn't help but was drawn to him. But he was dangerous. That, I know from all the tortures he did to me. But that was also the appeal. It was like playing with fire. So fun and exciting yet so, so dangerous.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I heard Elena asked Jenna who was rummaging through the closet.

"Perfect timing," Jenna replied, handing Elena another box. "Vanessa is busy flirting," she added under her breath and I gaped, baffled by her statement.

"What is this stuff?" Elena asked, and I was glad she didn't hear that.

"Your mom's files from the Historical Society. I got roped into helping Mrs Lockwood and by roped, I mean very excited to participate," she complained for the umpteenth time. She kicked the closet door closed, and Elena gasped at the sight of Elijah. I'd have laughed at the surprise look on her face but refrained myself from doing so. Elena seemed terrified. Very terrified.

"Hey, I'm Elijah," the Original vampire said casually. I pitied Elena as she was very scared yet tried to remain compose. Well, I was still scared of Elijah, so I will not blame her for reacting that way. I heard Elijah not only slapped Trevor that his head flew off his neck, but also ripped off some vampires' hearts from their chests in front of Elena. That would traumatize me, if I was still human and not accustomed to the violence that surrounded us.

"Elijah is in town doing research on Mystic Falls," Jenna told Elena, taking the box from her hands. Elena was still staring fearfully at Elijah, as he moved closer. Elijah…always had to scare poor people.

"It's a pleasure," he said, offering his hand. Elena nervously took his hand and I trailed behind Jenna who made her way to the two.

"So you're welcome to stay here and rummage through this stuff or we could help you load it into your car," Jenna offered and Elijah glanced at me.

"Or I can get someone to pick it up tomorrow," he said.

"Also a good plan," Jenna said, glad that she didn't have to load the stuff into his car.

"Thank you so much for inviting me into your home, Jenna," Elijah said, making Elena more terrified of the fact that he had already been invited in. Sigh, Elijah was being dramatic. "And Elena…I hope to see you again sometime soon," he said, looking at Elena before turning to me. "The same goes to you, Vanessa."

"Sure, looking forward to see you as well," I said dryly and his eyes glinted in amusement. Then I understood it. 'How can you act so brave when you know I can kill you in a wink?' or at least that was what I thought he meant.

When Elijah was gone, Elena hurriedly ran to the stairs and when I realized she was getting to Jeremy, I followed suit. But someone held me back, pinning me against the wall.

"What do you want?" I choked on my words and Elijah gave me a sickening smile. That was the moment I realized Elijah can be very deadly too. He released me and was gone in a flash. When I made my way to upstairs, I saw Elena talking with Jeremy, with Elijah hiding in the corner. Jeremy then walked downstairs, and I gave him a smile.

"A wise choice," Elijah commented and I tensed as I walked towards them.

"What do you want?" Elena asked and I stopped next to her. Elena would come to no harm, he had promised me that. But that didn't mean his words can be trusted as all he had been doing since he arrived was implying threats on me.

"I think it's time you and I had a little chat," Elijah replied before looking at me. I was standing in front of Elena, being the barrier between her and Elijah. Both of us stared down, and then I realized. No matter how annoying it was as Katherine had said, on how everyone was busy willing to save Elena's life, I realized I was one of them. I felt Elena stared at me, puzzled at why I was being protective over her and I hoped somehow, that she would know.

"She remains unharmed," I said briskly and Elijah stared at me before he finally nodded.

"Rest assured. I have no intention in doing that," he said and somehow, he managed to make me trust him. As far as I know, I was still taking vervain. "Elena?" he asked, gesturing to go into her room. Elena turned to me, as if asking for my help. I guess if you need to choose between trusting a thousand year old Original vampire or five hundred year old vampire who was your twin sister's doppelganger, you would choose the latter.

"I'll listen," I said and gave Elena a look to be careful. She became slightly calmer much to my amazement. _The bond was still there_. I headed downstairs as Elena led Elijah into her room.

* * *

I listened to the entire conversation, hoping for new information but was disappointed. Elena made a list of people that she needed to stay safe and as I expected, Cassidy wasn't on the list. Elijah finally walked downstairs and his dark eyes met mine. He nodded to the door and I followed him without a word. We walked to his car which he parked a little far from the house and I was sure Jenna would be really grateful that we didn't have to load the boxes into his car.

"Where are we going?" I asked cautiously when we reached his car. Elijah appeared in front of me, surprising me as well as making me stumbled a few steps back. I expected another threat but all he did was opened the passenger door for me. "Thank you," I said quietly, climbing into his car. He closed the door and was in the driver seat in less than a second. After a while of silence, he finally broke it.

"What were you doing in Richmond?" he asked, and I glanced at him.

"What were _you_ doing in Richmond?" I shot back, referring to the glass shattering incident. "Damon wanted to get in touch with Klaus, so we went to see Slater. He was the one who helped Rose getting in touch with you," I told.

"Hmm, why would he do that?" Elijah asked and I shrugged.

"Damon thought it would be better to find Klaus before he finds us first," I guessed. "You have no idea where he is, do you?" I repeated Elena's question and he sighed.

"I have to admit, no."

"And you're going to lure him using Elena?" I asked and he stayed silent.

"She remains unharmed," I stated again, looking at Elijah and he took his eyes off the road to meet my eyes.

"You have my word," he said and I leaned back.

"How did you manage to make me trust you?" I asked, sighing in frustration and to my surprise, he chuckled.

"I remember you said you didn't trust me?" he asked, and I rolled my eyes.

"I lied," I said grouchily and I saw he smiled from the corner of my eyes.

"I lied too," he said after a while and I turned to him, surprised.

"Why?" I asked and he stopped the car.

"Do I have a reason not to trust you?" he questioned and I shrugged.

"Maybe," I said and he chuckled deeply before unlocking the car. I followed him into his suit and wasn't surprise at the luxury that greeted me. I thought I would need an invitation, but I crossed the boundary without any problems.

"What would you like to drink?" Elijah asked and I looked at him incredulously.

"Blood?" I questioned back, wondering if there was any other drink that vampires liked. Elijah had removed his coat, rolled his sleeves up and unbuttoned the first three buttons of his shirt. I glanced around the kitchen, envied at such luxury.

"Did you compel someone to get this or did you actually pay?" I asked as I slid into the seat.

"I've been around for a long time, Vanessa. The amount of money that I made isn't little," he replied as he opened the microwave to retrieve the already heated blood bag.

"How long are you going to pretend that you are not Vanessa?" he asked and I looked up at him.

"I just don't know how to tell Elena," I admitted, feeling defeated. I wanted to say more but I realized how much it was better to let Elijah know only a little about me. Opening up to someone also meant to allow them to hurt you. He could use the information against me in the future.

"You're her sister. The bond remains there," he said, pouring the blood into a glass.

"Hmph, said someone who's trying to kill his own brother," I said, accepting the glass with a thanks.

"Klaus was no longer the brother he was when we were humans," Elijah said and I sent him a look.

"Then maybe I'm no longer the sister I was when I was human," I countered and he sat down across me. He fixed me with his dark eyes and I couldn't remove my eyes from him.

"You still care for Elena. You would die protecting her," he said and I felt a tugged on my heart. I swallowed, and with a great effort, I looked away.

"Klaus may have his reasons," I said, changing the topic.

"What reason would it be to kill your own siblings and throw them into the ocean?" Elijah questioned, and I could hear a hint of anger in his voice.

"How can you be so sure that he threw them away?" I asked and he looked at me, sceptically.

"Why does it seem like you're siding with Niklaus?" Elijah asked, and I opened my mouth to retort but closed it back when I found none.

"I'm not siding with him," I finally said. "It just seems like you're thinking you're better than him. That you are no less of a monster than he is," I said, dangerously digging my own grave. But Elijah seemed to ponder on my words. Huh, interesting.

"He has done many terrible things, Vanessa. He would kill your sister just for his own gain. I'd have to put an end to this," Elijah said in his eerie calm way.

"We all had done terrible things, Elijah," I said sadly and he looked at me.

"Is that why you're afraid Elena wouldn't accept you?" Elijah questioned, and I wasn't surprised at all at the sudden change of topic. The discussion about Klaus was actually related to me as well.

"Just as you don't accept Klaus as your brother," I countered and he looked at me deeply.

"How many people have you killed Vanessa?" he asked and I narrowed my eyes.

"Not as much as you, of course," I replied and his lips twitched. "Katherine told me you're the most noble out of all the Originals. But no matter how noble you are, you're still a vampire. A monster," I said, challenging him to deny that. Instead he leaned back, and tried to read my intention.

"But I don't enjoy it. I regret for the lives I had taken," he said firmly and sighed, looking at me. "But not you," he declared. "You enjoy it."

"I do," I agreed, my lips curled back into a sickening and twisted smile. Elijah watched me, and I saw something in his eyes. I couldn't read it though.

"Why do you look at me like that?" I asked him quietly, sipping on the thick, red liquid. He gave me a soft smile.

"You reminded me of my little brother. He enjoyed being a vampire more than any of us do. He's proud to be one," he said, smiling sadly. I wondered if Elijah accepted his nature or was like Stefan, trying to remain human. But then I realized I didn't want to go deeper than I should, no matter how attractive Elijah was. No matter how much I was attracted to him.

"Hmm, if we are going to continue exchanging stories, I rather go to sleep," I said and I saw Elijah's face changed for a second. Then I managed to interpret it once again. He missed Cassandra. _A lot_.

* * *

**I didn't want to write this at the top! I hope ElijahxVanessa and hint of KolxVanessa (although it's only one line) somehow make up for the very long delay! For this chapter I used a lot of 'somehow'. I don't know why. And you can see in this chapter, Vanessa understands Klaus thus making it possible for them to be allies in the future! ^^ **


	8. Bad Moon Rising

**A/N: Guys, thank you so much for the reviews and sorry for the late update! As usual, I only own Vanessa, Cassandra/Cassidy and Ada. **

* * *

Chapter 8: Bad Moon Rising

_**England, 1492**_

"_You killed me!" Cassandra gasped accusingly at Elijah. She remembered him kissing her, her neck and how he had bitten her and gave her his blood to heal the wound. And then he snapped her neck. He snapped her neck! "You-you fed me your blood! Oh God, am I a vampire now?" she asked frantically, quite unladylike but under this circumstance, this should be an exception. _

"_If you complete the transition, yes you'll become a vampire," Elijah said softly, cradling her face in his hands. "And we shall live happily together, forever," he said softly._

"_I don't want to be a monster," she uttered under her breath, shrugging away from Elijah's touch. Elijah's eyes flashed with hurt at her words and actions. Was that what she thought he was? A monster? A demon?_

"_Do you remember about the curse I told you last night?" Elijah asked and Cassandra nodded after a while. "Klaus will sacrifice you and I have no other choice. If you're a vampire, you're no use to him," Elijah said again, trying to reason with her._

"_What about my sister?" she whispered and Elijah tried to remain his composure. _

"_She would be sacrificed, yes, but I have a way to save her," Elijah said._

"_You meant her to be sacrificed? How could you?" Cassandra questioned Elijah tearfully, and the Original vampire had to look away. _

"_Cassandra love, I love you. Do you trust me?" Elijah asked, looking deeply into her piercing blue eyes. _

"_No," the golden haired lady said tearfully, looking up to him in betrayal, and ran._

* * *

Elijah pushed the memory far from his mind. That was when he had turned his love and seconds after that she had helped Katerina to escape. That was the moment Elijah had given up on their love after knowing what Cassandra truly thought of him. He pushed the thought away. The conversation he had with her doppelganger was what brought him back to the memory lane.

Cassandra was a lot like Elena, compassionate and warm-hearted that the vampire lifestyle didn't suit her. She remained her compassion after that, and decades later she sought him out and they made up. Vanessa however, she was different. She wasn't Cassandra, he had noted that ever since he captured her but now, it was clearly she wasn't his old love.

"Elijah?" Jonas called and the Original vampire pulled away from his thought and turned to the warlock.

"Yes?"

"We have matters to discuss," was all he said.

* * *

"He compelled you to not leave until he says so?" I asked and Katherine nodded with a scoff. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here," I said and she grinned.

"You can use Elijah," Katherine suggested. "Make sure he's wrapped around your finger and…" she purred and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not going to sleep with him," I snapped and laughter broke out from Katherine.

"I didn't say anything about that," she said and I rolled my eyes again. It was getting more annoying spending time with Katherine.

"He doesn't trust me," I told her, and she nodded.

"It'll take a while but if you earn his trust…" she trailed off, looking at me meaningfully. "I told Stefan to call Isobel. She might know where Klaus is," Katherine said and I nodded.

"Yeah, I'll see you later," I said, turning on my heels.

"Thanks for the blood," she muttered, before dragging her feet back to the back of the tomb. Poor woman.

* * *

I saw Caroline with Tyler, and headed towards them. They were talking about last night, which turned out successful. No one was harmed, much to my relief.

"Hey," I smiled and Tyler and Caroline smiled when they saw me.

"Congrats on your first turning wolf thingy," I said and Tyler laughed a little. "I'm glad to see that you're werewolf-bite free," I said to Caroline and she gave me a pointed look. I knew it instantly. Although Caroline wasn't Elena, she was the closest and my best friend while I was human. And now, both of us were together and it felt like old times. Both of us had changed, but we were still as close as before.

"He didn't know?" I mouthed and she shook her head. Tyler narrowed his eyes at our silent exchange in confusion.

"What? Hey, come on, tell me," Tyler whined childishly and I restrained the urge to roll my eyes.

"Nothing, it's no big deal," Caroline said before I could say anything and I shot her a glare. She wasn't going to play Elena here right?

"You should actually tell him," I told and Caroline gave me the you're-not-helping look.

"What? V, tell me," Tyler urged and I sighed.

"Well, the legend says a bite from a werewolf can kill a vampire," I said and Caroline looked frustrated. It was as if she didn't want to burden Tyler with the information. But it needed to be done. He had to know so he would be careful around us.

"And how do you know that?" Tyler asked and Caroline and I looked at each other.

"I…I think um, we read it somewhere…" Caroline trailed off and I almost laughed at her attempt on lying. Luckily, we were saved by Matt, my one and only human friend.

"Caroline, you got a second?" He asked and she nodded.

"Yeah sure," she said glancing at us.

"We'll see you later," I said, and both Tyler and I retreated back. Tyler and I were close although I never liked him when he was being a jerk.

"Was it painful?" I asked, attempting for a conversation and he shrugged.

"I was breaking every bone that I have and it was my first time. I guess it'll get better," he muttered and I nodded.

"You will, don't worry," I said encouragingly.

"So you're a vampire too?" he asked and I quickly looked around to see if there was any human caught what he just said.

"And you can't be any louder?" I asked and he grinned innocently. "Did Caroline tell you?" I asked and he shook his head.

"First, I heard you died and then you suddenly came back to Mystic Falls. And then I found out about werewolves and vampires," he said and I made an impressed face.

"Not bad," I told and he shot a playful glare at me.

"The one who turned me was the same vampire that turned Caroline," I told him out of the blue. "I couldn't thank her more…" I trailed off.

"You like it being a vampire?" he questioned and I could see confusion written in his face. But he wasn't judging me. He wasn't Elena. Nor Caroline.

"Well, I died," I said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I couldn't imagine of being gone forever. I'm going to leave Jeremy and Elena, and you guys," I told him honestly.

"I could see your point," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"You might hate it, being a werewolf. But once you get a hang of it, you'll love it," I said and he made a weird noise. I got a text from Stefan and looked at Tyler.

"I gotta run, see you," I told and he nodded.

* * *

**Mystic Grill**

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, slipping into the booth. Stefan as always, wore these broody and serious expressions on his face.

"Vanessa, thank you for coming," he began and I signaled him to continue. "It's about Elena."

"If you're telling me to come clean about me being Vanessa, no," I said and he looked at me.

"Oh, that too. When are you going to tell her? You can't just leave her in the dark," Stefan said and I mentally slapped myself. He wasn't going to talk about that and I just had to bring it up.

"Sooner or later, I'll tell her when I think it's the right time," I shrugged. "Hey," I said when I saw he was about to say something. "You didn't come clean that you are a vampire when you first met her either, right?" I asked pointedly and he gave me a look.

"Right. But the longer you keep this as a secret…" he trailed off when he saw something and stood up abruptly. Noticing this, I followed his gaze and saw Damon entering the Grill. Stefan was next to his brother in a second and I went to them with my vampire speed.

"What's wrong?" I asked, seeing Damon's pissed off face.

"Nothing, I was just about to rip that werewolf lady's spleen through her back," Damon said casually, as if he was telling me his plan to watch some movies. But I was used to that.

"Hey, listen. I know you're upset about Rose," Stefan said and I turned to him. What did I miss?

"Why does everyone think that I'm upset about Rose? I'm fine. I don't know if you know this but sometimes, vampires die," Damon said and I watched as he hid his pain. "I'm gonna have a friendly chat with lady wolf, brother. Ease up," he told and nodded at me as he walked past us to a woman who I assumed the werewolf.

"What happened to Rose?" I asked Stefan and he sighed. His phone however rang, and he held up his hand at me before walking away to answer the phone. That must be something private since I could still eavesdrop, but I decided not to.

Stefan returned and told me briefly that Rose had been bitten by a werewolf. I guess it was time for us to see if the legend was true. Then he told me that he contacted Isobel.

"Wait, Isobel agreed?" I asked, bewildered. I loved her, but that woman was pretty shady.

"Not until she talked to you," Stefan said and I looked at him sceptically. "Vanessa, it's _Elena_. Elena's going to be sacrificed because of some stupid ritual," he said pleadingly but also firmly. I wonder what spell that Elena used to have two brothers wrapped around her finger.

"Trust me, everything is going to be fine. I made a deal with Elijah and we have a plan. As long as you don't mess it up, Elena will be fine," I said with a tone that the conversation ended right here and now.

"Do you even trust Elijah? Elena's life is in his hand," Stefan growled and I glared at him. Just because he was older and taller did not mean I couldn't win this silly disagreement.

"Elijah is a man of his word. He's a thousand year old vampire who knows how to deal with craps like these. So Stefan, sit back and stop trying to play hero. You don't have to," I snapped and huffed, before walking out of the Grill.

"Gosh!" I cried out frustratingly when he appeared in front of me.

"Please talk to Isobel," Stefan said pleadingly.

"You're not going to stop until I give in, are you?" I asked as I pulled out my phone. I scrolled down the contacts and called Isobel.

"_Vanessa_," Isobel said as she answered the call. I saw Stefan's face turned slightly nervous.

"Stefan's here with me," I told her so she wouldn't say anything she didn't want him to hear.

"_Where's Katherine?_" Isobel asked.

"She's in the tomb. The spell's lifted but Elijah compelled her to not leave until he says so," I explained and silence filled the line. She must be calculating on what to do.

"_We have to get her out of there before Klaus gets to Mystic Falls,_" Isobel said and Stefan grew restless.

"It's either we persuade Elijah or we kill him. And I'm not really into the latter."

"_Do not get close to Elijah," _Isobel said warningly and I rolled my eyes.

"I'll try to ask him to release Katherine. And Elijah is our only chance to stop Klaus from killing all of us," I said, trying to reason with her. I have no idea why Isobel really didn't like Elijah. "For the time being, we need you to find Klaus," I said, looking at Stefan.

"_I'm still trying," _she told and hang up.

"Happy?" I asked Stefan.

"Thank you, Vanessa," he said sincerely and I gave him a small smile.

"You really do love her, don't you?" I asked and he looked at me. He didn't answer the question but his eyes did. "And what do you think of Damon?" I asked and he looked away, refused to tell me.

"It's just funny, 1864 all over again. I wish I was there," I said with a wink, and waved him goodbye dismissively.

* * *

_**Mystic Falls, 1864**_

"_Be careful, Stefan," a voice said, startling the young human. He had just sent Katherine to her room and was returning to his. Cassidy walked up the stairs elegantly before coming to a stop in front of Stefan. _

"_Miss Cassidy," he said respectfully, hoping she hadn't heard his exchange with Katherine. But again, she was down the stairs while they were upstairs. But of course, at that time, he didn't know that the Pierce twins were vampires._

"_I don't wish to see you fall in love with someone you can never be together with," she said silkily and Stefan took a deep breath at her words. It felt like he had been slapped._

"_You mean Katherine?" he asked and she gave him a knowing smile._

"_I will never deny that she loves you," Cassidy said and Stefan looked at her, his heart warmed with hope. "But it's not easy for you to be together."_

"_What do you mean?" Stefan asked and Cassidy flashed him a sad smile._

"_You'll know it soon enough."_

_With that, she picked up her dressed and walked to her room that she shared with Katherine._

* * *

"_Cassidy!" Stefan called, hurrying down the steps and to the golden haired woman. Cassidy looked over her shoulder to see Stefan and turned back to the dark brown mare. She was strapping a saddle on its back and aside from the fact that she might be running away, Stefan was quite impressed at her skills in handling the horse. "Where are you going?" he asked, alarmed. It was past midnight, and everyone was sleeping. Cassidy finally turned to him and gave him a sad smile._

"_I'm leaving," she said and he looked at her as if she was mad._

"_At this time?" Stefan asked and she looked at him pleadingly._

"_Please be quiet," she pleaded and Stefan glanced around to see if anyone was around._

"_Where are you going?" Stefan asked, this time in a hushed voice._

"_Away from here," Cassidy replied hastily and mounted the mare. _

"_What about Katherine?" he asked, and she bit her lower lip._

"_Tell her I'm sorry," Cassidy said and looked at Stefan. She sighed, and dismounted the mare. "Tell her that she has to leave soon too," she said._

"_Why?" Stefan asked, bewildered._

"_Settling down was never in the plan," Cassidy said. "I've never seen her so happy but she is not who you think she was. She's manipulating you and I can't see you and Damon fighting because of her. Trust me Stefan, I've seen it before," Cassidy said and Stefan stared at her. _

"_I can't just let you leave," Stefan said and Cassidy sighed in frustration._

"_I'll be fine," she snapped out of frustration. "You've grown into me Stefan. I'm going to miss you," she said with a sad smile and Stefan returned it._

"_Stay safe," he said, still hesitating into letting her go out in the midnight._

"_It's you who should stay safe," she said and Stefan saw something in her eyes. _

"_What do I tell my father?" Stefan suddenly asked and then Cassidy realized he was stalling her._

"_Tell her I ran off with some man, I don't care," she said and turned to mount the mare when Stefan took her arm._

"_Please stay, Katherine needs you," he said and she looked stunned. She hadn't realized that. Katherine could take care of herself but that didn't mean she didn't need her._

"_I need her too. For the time being, take care of her for me," Cassidy said and Stefan nodded grimly. "Remove that frown from your face. I'll be fine," Cassidy said with a chuckle, and kissed his cheek. Then she realized it was him who had been holding her back. She realized how much he had grown into her. But he was under Katherine's spell._

"_I want you to kiss me," she requested, whispering to his ear. Stefan found it odd, yet when he looked into her dark blue eyes, he leaned in and claimed her lips. It wasn't as aggressive as Katherine but it was something else. She needed it and he would give it to her. Cassidy finally pulled away, and Stefan breathed heavily, from the lack of oxygen and she smiled._

"_I'll remember you, Stefan Salvatore," she whispered, and kissed his cheek once again. Then she mounted the mare and looked at him for the last time before she took off. Her golden hair shone under the moonlight before it completely disappeared from his sight. _

His finger brushed his lips, remembering the kiss and how odd Cassidy was being. She knew that the council was going to find out and left Katherine. It was a shame that Katherine was still alive while she was dead. Stefan found himself comparing Vanessa and Cassidy, and ironically, he realized how Vanessa was more like Katherine.

* * *

I headed to Salvatore Boarding House to check on Rose, and to see what actually happened if you were bitten by a werewolf. The house however,was filled with silence.

"Rose? Elena?" I called out, as I made my way to the parlour. Then I heard Elena's scream from the basement. I quickly pushed Rose off Elena and she glared at me. She really wasn't herself.

"Elena, run!" I yelled when she stood there frozen.

"Rose! Calm down!" I told her. It seemed she couldn't think straight. Her eyes didn't recognize me at all. I quickly moved aside when she lunged at me and twisted her arm. She groaned in pain but pushed me away, sending me to the wall. She zoomed upstairs, and I quickly followed her.

I broke a wooden chair's leg and snapped it into half, and rushed as I heard Rose's screams. Rose was coiled up in the corner and the sunlight was glaring through the windows.

"Rose, it's me, it's me, Vanessa," I told her as I rushed to her. She struggled for a while before calming down, and regained herself.

"Vanessa?" Rose asked weakly and I sighed in relief.

"Are you okay?" I asked and she closed her eyes tiredly. I brought her to bed and laid her down.

"I've never felt any worse than this," she mumbled and I chuckled softly.

"Let's hope the legend isn't true," I said, wiping her forehead and she sighed.

"I remember meeting Cassandra," she said quietly and I looked at her. "I think it was a couple of years before she died. In late 19th century…"

"Really?" I asked.

"She's just like you," she mumbled in her sleep and I smiled.

"I really hope you get better," I said. "Damon seems to care for you. It's good to see him not fighting over Elena," I told and returned later to place a blood bag on her bed in case she got hungry.

* * *

**Later that night – Mystic Grill**

"Thank you for coming," Jules said.

"So what do you want from me?" Tyler asked.

"Just to be your friend. Mason would have wanted that. I know about Mason and you," she answered truthfully.

"You know what?" Tyler asked.

"I know you're a werewolf and I know your little friend Caroline is a vampire," Jules told.

"How do you know about Caroline?" Tyler asked.

"You can't sniff them out?" she asked and Tyler didn't answer her. Then she realized it. "Oh my god. You're brand new. How many times have you turned?"

"Hey, I can help you," she said soothingly when she saw how distressed Tyler looked.

"Do you know where Mason is?"

"He's dead, Tyler. He was murdered," Jules replied.

"No."

"You want to know who murdered him?" Jules asked.

"Just stop," Tyler begged.

"Your little blond vampire did," she told. Although there were two blond vampires in town, the only one that crossed his mind was Caroline.

"No, Caroline would never do this," Tyler said.

"She and her little vampire friends were behind it, Tyler," Jules told.

"Vanessa wasn't here when Mason was in town," Tyler defended his friends, calling it bluff.

"The two blondies weren't the only vampires in town. Is that what she told you? She lied, this town is crawling with vampires but don't worry, we'll get them," Jules said.

"Who are you?" Tyler questioned.

"I'm your friend. There are others like us and they're on their way."

* * *

**So I'm really sorry for the very late update as I always am, but if I updated last weekend, you guys won't see CassidyxStefan. I have no idea why I threw it there, or maybe I know exactly why I threw it there. xD Review, tell me if you love the couple that appeared out of nowhere! I know this has no ElijahxVanessa in it, but the next chapter will. It's the werewolf chapter and I'm excited! **


	9. Crying Wolf

**A/N: My laptop replaces my Microsoft Word into Microsoft Office 2010 and I almost got a heart attack. I really thought I'd lost my work T.T I have no idea how to change it back. As usual, I'm sorry that I didn't update this quickly, my friend moved in with me because her mother is sick and I couldn't write with someone in the same room as me. **

**Disclaimer: I only own my characters. **

* * *

Chapter 9: Crying Wolf

I'd say the morning was rather normal for some family, but it wasn't for me. Here I was, making a pot of coffee for my biological father since he had ordered me to do so. None of us like John being here and I wonder why would Isobel send him? She knew John hated me and I hated him.

"_The authorities believe last night's assailant may also be related to the missing campers and Park ranger who have yet to be found as well as 25 year old Jessica Koenig, reported missing this morning. The sheriff department says investigations are pending and no further comment will be made," _

"Was that you?" John asked accusingly as I handed him his coffee.

"No!" I snapped back defensively and shot him a glare. "You think so little of me, _John_. I'm hurt," I said sarcastically and he snorted. John was a vampire hater. But he still cared for Elena and me (I think). He didn't like Isobel either, but Isobel would keep Elena safe so their interests were aligned. Although I had accepted the fact that Isobel was my real mother, I could never think of John as my father. When I was a child, he was really close to me. He would tell me stories about vampires and werewolves, and how I would have to kill them if I ever crossed one. Turned out, I became one of them. Deep inside, as Isobel had told me, John cared for me. He was really devastated when he found out that I had become a vampire.

"Good morning," John said when Elena entered the room. She looked pissed off and I smirked. Everyone had always thought of Elena as the sweet, human girl but when she pissed off, those brown eyes of her lit up with Petrova fire.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned angrily.

"Coffee?" John asked and I snorted.

"We're not doing that. We did that last night, no more avoiding. Why are you here?" Elena insisted.

"I'm here to protect you," John said, glancing at me before returning to Elena. "That's all I can say for the moment."

"What do you mean that's all you can say?" Elena asked.

"I'll tell you more when I'm convinced I can trust you," John replied and Elena and I met eyes. I was always proud of our bond. No matter how long we fought, when we looked into each other's eyes, we understood each other. I jumped off the counters and grabbed a knife. Elena looked alarmed at my action but I told her to sit still with my eyes.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, John. I don't see any rings on your finger," I said with a fake smile as I played with the knife and he glared at me. Oh, how the Gilbert men hated to be threatened by vampires. "So tell us what the hell are you up to."

"I will when I trust you," he said firmly. I snarled and was about to…um, threaten him with the knife in a not so delicate way when Jenna entered. I quickly hid the knife and smiled at her.

"I'm late," she muttered hurriedly, not realizing John's presence in the kitchen.

"That's what you get for hitting the snooze three times," Alaric replied and I almost laughed. Then Jenna noticed John and her face instantly showed that she was annoyed greatly.

"What the hell," she said.

"Good morning to you, Jenna. Alaric…" John greeted Alaric with disapprovals.

"It's okay I'm confused, right? Because we were not excepting you like ever," Jenna said bluntly and I snorted. John sent me a quick glare and I gave him a sweet smile. Elena watched our interactions and I saw something in her eyes. Doubt. Was I acting too much like Vanessa? Deep inside my heart, I wanted Elena to just confront me and make me tell her the truth.

"Well, I got in late last night. Elena let me in," John told.

"You know, I'm probably just gonna take off," Ric said, feeling out of place. He glanced at Elena and I before leaving.

"I'm still confused here," Jenna said out loud.

"I decided to come back and stay for a while," John explained.

"Not here. You're not," Jenna said firmly.

"Actually, you can't stop me from living here," John countered and I glanced at him. He wasn't going to drop the bomb right?

"Actually I can, as legal guardian-" Jenna said angrily when John cut her off.

"Yeah, about that… Elena, you want me to explain the situation or would you like to do the honours?" John asked and I stood there, feigning confusion.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Jenna asked.

"I'm sorry, Jenna. I should have told you earlier but…" Elena trailed off.

"I'm Elena's biological father. There, now you know," John said before leaving.

"What?" I asked, looking at Elena. Jenna seemed too shock to even say anything.

* * *

"Elena, I'm heading to Caroline's!" I shouted as I slipped on my leather jacket.

"Why?" Elena questioned, narrowing her eyes.

"She said it was an emergency," I shrugged.

"When are you going to stop pretending to be Vanessa?" she asked angrily. "I'm sick of it," she spat and I rolled my eyes.

"I think Vanessa is thanking me for…well, being her," I shrugged. "Besides, no one can differentiate me and her. Why don't you start doing so too? Maybe it can save you some heartache," I told Elena and ignored the guilt that was creeping inside me at the hurt flashed in Elena's warm brown eyes.

"Woah, there," I said as I grabbed her wrist that was about to slap me. "Brave," I said, impressed. "But stupid," I scowled, releasing her wrist. "Ciao," I said as I made my way out of my house.

"Thank you so much for being here!" Caroline said as she opened the door.

"Why? What happened?" I asked.

"I'll tell you once Stefan is here," Caroline said. She seemed so edgy, pacing back and forth when I returned from her kitchen.

"Does your mum know about you being a vampire?" I asked, punching the tube into the blood bag. Caroline nodded. "Did she…" I trailed off, not really wanting to say it out loud.

"She was…disgusted at first. I couldn't really blame her. She's spent her life hating vampires and now her daughter is one. But now we're okay. It brought us closer, really," Caroline said with a smile. I nodded and wondered if I should tell her about my problems with Elena. I would since Caroline was a good listener but she was never a good secret keeper.

"Well, Elena is…having a hard time accepting me as a vampire. Jeremy didn't know and I don't know how I should tell him," I said after taking a sip of the blood.

"Did you know about Jeremy and Anna?" she asked and I looked at her, confused.

"Anna who?"

"Anna was a vampire…and she kind of had a thing with Jeremy," Caroline told.

"Did Jeremy know?" I asked and she nodded. "What happened to them?"

"She was killed by your Uncle John," Caroline answered and I felt my burning hatred to him. Jeremy was suffering and he took his happiness from him. I will have my revenge for her. "Do you remember Vicki?" Caroline asked, distracting me from my thoughts. Now that she mentioned her, I realized I hadn't seen her at all since I returned.

"Yeah, where is she? I hadn't seen her…" I said and Caroline looked at me before sighing.

"Damon turned her into vampire, and she attacked Elena so Stefan had to kill her. And Jeremy had a thing with her too," Caroline told I pursed my lips.

"So I guess I shouldn't really worry about telling Jeremy?" I asked.

"Jeremy loves you," Caroline said and I smiled. It was nice to hear that from someone else. "And so does Elena."

"I don't know. It's just that Stefan is really good, really nice. And I don't think I'm like him," I said, and sighed. I met Caroline's grey eyes and bit my lips. "I enjoy the killing," I told and she gave me a sad smile.

"Me too," she said, her voice was barely a whisper. "But that didn't mean you're the most evil person in the earth! You're still Vanessa just as how I'm still Caroline!" she said with a bright smile and I chuckled.

"Yeah, I'll tell them soon enough," I said and she smiled at me.

"Hey," Stefan appeared and we rose from the couch.

"Thank you for coming," Caroline said in relief.

"Stefan's here. So what's up?" I asked. Caroline looked at us guiltily and I knew something bad had happened.

* * *

Stefan had gone to Tyler's house to talk to him and I went to the memorial. Would they mourn for me if I didn't return? The pain that Jeremy, Elena, Jenna had to go through because I was dead had been prevented. Whether it was for the best, I didn't know.

"Were that your parents?" Elijah's deep voice asked. He was wearing another pair of his tailored suit, and I wondered if he had no other clothes. I stopped myself from getting lost into his dark brown eyes and nodded.

"Elena and I were in the car as well. We actually thought we were going to die," I said, trying to be nonchalant. I had never liked dealing with the past, I rather run. The past, the memories, the loves, everything was too painful to be remembered. I rather not care. Even though deep inside, I cared too much.

"Well, one of us did," I said bitterly. "Life wouldn't get so complicated if we just died. But…" I trailed off, as I lit up the candle. "I never wanted to die," I said softly. I had always been afraid to die. I wanted to do so many things before I die. And being a vampire was one of my greatest gifts.

"It's intriguing. How two persons can be so similar yet different," Elijah stated, deep in his thought.

"Cassandra?" I asked and he nodded his head grimly. I had to push the bitter feelings of being compared to her far away, to get some new information. Even when I was human, everyone liked to compare me with Elena because we were so different and now Elijah was comparing me with my dead doppelganger.

"She rather died than turn into one of us," he said and I looked at him, surprised. Maybe because I thought being a vampire was like a second chance. You have a long life, you remained young and you have forever.

"But she did," I stated and he nodded.

"I was supposed to be there with her, guiding her to be a vampire," he said.

"Katherine's a good teacher," I commented and he looked at me. We had started to walk to the Grill. "What?"

"Loneliness is never a good teacher," he said and I shrugged.

"I guess. Look at how she turned out," I said, referring to how manipulative Katherine was. "You seriously have no intention in letting Katherine go?" I asked him carefully, hoping he was in a good mood.

"Why would I? She betrayed me," he said and I narrowed my eyes.

"So did Cassandra," I shot back and he turned to me, an amused smile was playing on his lips.

"Why are you so keen in freeing Katherine?" he asked and I pursed my lips.

"She saved my life. The least I could do is get her out of the tomb before Klaus arrives in Mystic Falls," I said.

"Really?" he asked and I nodded.

"I stick to my promises, Elijah. And if I owe someone, I'd make sure to pay it back," I said when I felt my phone vibrated in my pocket. It was Damon and I glanced at Elijah before answering his call.

"_Caroline's in danger. Dog's trouble_," he said nastily and my eyes widened. No, not Caroline. Not my best friend. I looked at Elijah and saw Damon walking out of the restroom.

"I saw you," I said, hanging up as we made eye contact. "We'll continue this chat later, my friend is in danger," I said to Elijah, although he'd probably heard Damon. I used my vampire speed to catch up with Damon and he gave me a judging look.

"I hope you were trying to get some information instead of getting cozy with him," Damon commented dryly and I snorted.

"Jealous?" I asked and he smirked.

"Might be," he retorted and I followed him into the woods.

"Let her go and I'll release Tyler. It doesn't have to get any messier than it already has. I'm not your enemy, Jules," Stefan said and I rolled my eyes. Always trying to be a hero. We crept forwards silently, blending in with the night.

"It's a little late to be waving the white flag, don't you think?" The blonde said and I assumed her to be Jules.

"You need to leave town. No one else has to get hurt," Stefan told her patiently.

"I'm not leaving without Tyler," she said firmly.

"Tyler is free to make his own decisions as soon as you release Caroline," Stefan said again. Damon walked out of his hiding spot and I followed suit.

"My brother the peacemaker. Since Stefan got here before me I'm gonna let him try it his way before I resort to my way, which is a little bloodier," Damon said with a dangerous smile. Did I mention how I love his style?

"So give us Caroline," I said sternly. You can mess with me, but never with my friends. Jules looked at me, calculating my strength and if I was a threat. Young, yes. But I was trained.

"Let go of Tyler," she demanded once again.

"Give us Caroline. Without a full moon it's not an even fight and you know it. We will take you," Damon threatened dangerously.

"I'm not so sure about that, tough guy," she said and whistled. Werewolves appeared out of nowhere, bringing weapons that could kill vampires. I hid my fear, knowing we could still take them out.

"Let's try this again. Give us Tyler!" Jules demanded and I looked at Damon. Damon turned to Tyler.

"You heard her, go," he said quickly. "Get over there." Tyler walked to the werewolves hesitatingly and once he was safe, one of them spoke up.

"Which one of you killed Mason?"

"Uh…that would be me," Damon said playfully, unfazed even though he knew what was coming.

"Boys, make sure that one suffers," the werewolf said, pointing at Damon and Damon smiled, unnerved.

"We can take them," he muttered under his breath to Stefan.

"I don't know about that. Vanessa you should go," Stefan said and I rolled my eyes. Really?

"Fine, I'll just leave you guys here," I said sarcastically and Damon gave me his smirk.

"Well then…" he mumbled, before rushing over to Jules. I followed his lead and went behind another werewolf, snapping his neck quickly as he turned around. I turned on my heels as I felt the whooshing sound of the stake, and missed it by inches. Growling to the werewolf that attacked me, I went over to him and plunged my hand into his chest, ripping his heart off.

"Never did that before," I said in amusement, slightly proud at myself. Another werewolf saw his friend's downfall and charged towards me and I dodged, snapped his arms and ripped off his heart again. Dropping the heart to the ground, I rushed to Stefan who had been stabbed in the back. The werewolf was about to stake Stefan again but groaned in pain when I had my hand in his chest, gripping his heart. I ripped it off and he fell to the ground, dead.

"_Vanessa, you should go_," I mocked him and he groaned as he healed. "You okay?" I asked, kneeling down next to him. Stefan drank from squirrels as Damon had told me, thus making him so much weaker. I was slightly worried but I was sure he would be fine.

"Damon," he muttered weakly and I quickly scanned my surrounding, spotting a figure who was about to stake someone that I assumed was Damon. I gasped, knowing neither me nor Stefan can get to him in time. The werewolf however screamed in pain, clutching to his head. I heard Jules's screams of pain as well and Stefan and I looked at each other.

A man emerged from the woods and I recognized him as Luka's father, the warlock that was working with Elijah.

"Elijah made a promise to Elena. I'm here to see it's upheld. You need to go," he said and Stefan nodded, walking warily to Caroline and Damon.

"Get out of here. Now," he said and the four of us walked passed him.

"Caroline," I said, hugging her and she hugged me back, crying. "Shh, it's okay. You're safe," I said, stroking her back comfortingly. "Come on," I said, and she wiped her tears. At least we didn't die today.

* * *

"Are you okay? What about Caroline?" Elena asked me quickly and worriedly when she saw me walking into the kitchen. I was tired and hadn't looked into the mirror, but I assumed my appearance was a mess. I had blood in my hands (literally), and I was wearing white tank top which had dried blood on them. I really hope I didn't get any blood on my hair though. My golden hair was a treasure.

"It's not my blood. Everyone's fine," I told her and she nodded. I washed the blood stains in my hands and dried it with a cloth. I saw Elena was still standing there and she caught my gaze, and cleared her throat.

"I'll just…" she said awkwardly, pointing to her back. My lips twitched in amusement and I went to the fridge to pour myself a glass of water.

"Cassidy, thank you for saving Caroline," Elena said and I froze. I heard her retreating footsteps and closed the fridge. Drinking the water, I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. Elena calling me Cassidy was the last thing I wanted to hear. I continued drinking the water silently, and felt a tear rolled down my cheek.

* * *

**I hope you enjoy this! Gimme more reviews, the last chapter didn't get that much. And next chapter would be a turning point for Elijah and Vanessa. I hope you'll love it. :) Sorry again for the late update!**


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